#like I'm not even sure how people with those headlights can see ME

[lastoneout]

I always do wonder why people say those bright ass LED headlights are safer. I used to live out in the middle of Actual Nowhere and there were zero streetlights and we got around fine at night with normal headlights. But these days, regardless of if there are streetlights or not, basically any time we've been driving at night my fiancé and I haven't been able to see so much as the lines on the road because of all the ultra-bright headlights around us. There's no way that's safer?? Like I guess I can see other cars but I certainly can't see The Road or any pedestrians/bikers. It just doesn't make sense to me.

#I simply cannot drive at night I can't see shit #hell as a pedestrian I can't see shit either #it's either too dark cuz there's no streetlights or too bright because some jackass in a ford f150 #has fucking nightsuns strapped to the front of his truck #like I'm not even sure how people with those headlights can see ME #or anything

[1-800-kami]

R U MINE? feat gojo satoru (II)

gojo satoru has got to be the picture definition of a stereotypical college frat boy. he’s cocky, loaded with his daddy’s money, and dangerously handsome. it seems like common sense to stay away from him since you’ll never get more than a one-night stand out of it. 

that’s why you choose to turn a blind eye once you’ve come to the horrific realization: you’re in love with him. and you’re just itching to ask…

“are you mine tomorrow? or just mine tonight?”

IMPORTANT: this is part TWO (and the final part) of the r u mine? mini series. make sure to read part one of this fic before proceeding! :)

content: 5.4k words, afab!reader, rich college frat boy gojo, SMUT (fingering & unprotected sex.. wrap it before u tap it kids!) ANGST, (i listened to deftones while writing the breakup era LMAOO i was in my feels 😔) gojo "everything reminds me of her" satoru is really going thru it, idk how to feel about the ending tbh, cheating implications, kinda proofread ig, more emo gojo (u luv to see it)

author's note: guys. where do i even start?? first of all, thank u for all the support on the first part of this mini series!! we also hit 100 followers on this blog so tysm for supporting me n my writing <3 here's the long awaited part two (n also the finale) as i promised that i would get it out over the weekend! just a quick announcement that i may be a little bit more inactive from here on out.. mainly because classes r starting again nd im starting to get busier. i do have more fic plans though, (and a geto smut in my drafts? 👀) so i'll make time to write when i can! happy reading and thank u for all the support on this silly little series :)

tags: @soley613 @feariteriu @bear-likes-mushrooms @96jnie @keilaq1 @whydohumansss @luftyluft @fatbootymuncher (bold = i'm unable to tag u)

reblog and interact for a kiss ;)

everything’s been hazy.

you don’t really remember how you got home– you either waved down a cab or walked until you somehow found your house. either way, the alcohol is worsening the pounding in your ears. the straps of your dress are clinging terribly against your skin–you want to take it off, you want to wear something more comfortable, you want to just go to sleep, preferably forever… but you can’t bring yourself to.

you can’t even bring yourself to move.

so the rumors really were true? but why did gojo pursue so far just for you? why did gojo say those words to you when you spent the night together? why did gojo try so hard to convince you that night that he wanted to have sex with you because he loved you–and not solely because he wanted to have sex?

why did gojo lie to you?

another series of pings sound throughout the room, and you finally move to silence your phone. the noise is all so overwhelming. why the hell is your phone blowing up?

you check your notifications–mostly dms from people you don’t know, either asking if you and satoru were dating, or questioning you about what the hell happened at the party. you know that you’re gonna be the subject of gossip once you’re back at campus, and you hate it.

you were surprised at the numbers once you scrolled down your notification list a little further. ten missed calls from satoru, accompanied by a series of fifteen panicked messages. you open it, and you stare sadly at his contact photo and name, remembering the fond memory behind it. once you two actually started dating, you were merciful enough to add a heart next to his name, and even updated it to “toru”. he was elated at that.

you think you can barely even call him gojo now.

the most recent message was barely sent a minute ago. like it was on cue, you see the bright headlights pull up outside of your door. you wanted to sink into your couch and never resurface ever again.

you hear suguru’s car door open and close, and then frantic knocking outside. you walk to the door while sniffling, looking through the peephole just to confirm your suspicions. it was satoru.

“i can hear you crying through the door, y/n. i know you’re there.” he takes a deep inhale, and the tears start rolling down your cheeks again once you hear the complete and utter vulnerability in his voice. you just don’t know what to believe anymore. “shit, i’m crying too. well, i’m gonna explain myself even if you don’t care enough to listen to me. uhm, believe it or not, what happened at the party wasn’t my doing… at all. when you went to use the bathroom, this girl went up to me and started flirting with me, like she was waiting for you to leave or somethin’. i was g’na tell her to go fuck off but she pushed herself on my lap and before i could do anything about it you walked in and it was just all horrible timing and- god. i know it sounds unbelievable, right? you must think i’m terrible right now.”

“you don’t have to believe me. if i were in your shoes i wouldn’t know what to think either. i’m just… explaining what happened.”

there’s a long period of silence between you and satoru, aside from the occasional sniffling on both ends. you don’t know what to say. you want to believe him. you want to do nothing more than to open the door and let him hold you in his arms again, but you just don’t know what to think anymore. you poured your entire heart out to a man who you knew you shouldn’t be messing with, and now you don’t know who or what to believe. you feel like a fool, and you’re just tired. so damn tired. the silence feels asphyxiating, like it's tearing your relationship with satoru further and further apart the longer it draws on.

satoru is the first one to break the silence. “i’m guessing from the silent treatment that you don’t believe me. it’s okay, y/n. i’ll wait an eternity for you to forgive me because i’ll always choose you- fuck… over anything, and i hope you know that.”

your mind is a mess, and satoru’s words make it even messier.

i’ll wait an eternity for you

i’ll always choose you over anything

you put your head in your hands and sob. it hurts.

a minute passes–gojo hears you get up from where you’re sitting behind the door, and his heart fills with hope.

“i just… i just don’t know how to believe you, gojo.”

his heart breaks when he hears the door–presumably to your bedroom–open and close, leaving him alone with his shattered heart. his heart breaks when he takes in your voice, noticing how weak and exhausted you sounded. he wonders how much you’ve cried just from this past hour alone. his heart breaks once he realizes that he’s alone with his thoughts again, alone with the voice in his head that was berating him for not being able to prevent all of this if he hadn’t frozen up and just pushed her away the second that girl started flirting with him. finally, his heart breaks once it registers that you called him gojo–the last name that he shares with his corrupt and money-crazy family… the family he tries so hard to get away from. it was also the name you called him during the days that you barely trusted him.

now, he’s back to square one, and he has none of your trust again. this time, satoru swears that he’ll do anything in his power to get it back once more.

you didn’t come to school today.

there’s been nothing but radio silence on your end. gojo has sent you countless messages over the weekend asking how you’ve been, with the occasional desperate voicemail where he tells you that he loves and misses you. you’ve turned off your read receipts, so gojo doesn’t even know if you’ve seen his texts or listened to his voicemails. he’s concerned for you, even though he knows that he’s the reason behind all of this. he was hoping to talk things out with you today.. but you weren’t even here.

one thing gojo knew about you is that you cared deeply about your academics, and you wouldn’t miss attendance even if you were sick. it pains him to know that he was the reason that you weren’t here today. you were avoiding him, and he felt helpless.

he’s talked to geto—and the best advice that his best friend could offer was to “find proof that you didn’t cheat on her.” he’s right, though. the last thing you had said to gojo was that you don’t know how to believe if he’s telling the truth or not. gojo has absolutely no idea how to prove his fidelity to you, since words clearly weren’t enough. it frustrates him to no end.

gojo now knows that he feels absolutely lost. all when he’s not with you.

it feels nerve-wracking to walk the halls. 

he remembers telling you the night that you slept together that he’d learned over time to drown out the rumors about him. he learned not to care about what other people thought about him, and he eventually became unaffected by the school’s gossip. 

however, this time was different.

this time, he finds it difficult to drown out the rumors when he hears your name in them. he flinches every time someone whispers your name and his as he walks the halls, feeling that all eyes are on him. “i heard y/n and gojo broke up…” “they were dating?!” “yeah.. i didn’t believe it at first, either! apparently he…”

he doesn’t want to hear it, so he walks a little faster. it hasn’t felt this suffocating to be on campus in a while.

maybe that’s partially why you didn’t show up. rumors are hard to ignore if you don’t know how to shun them out. 

gojo lets out a sigh. he decides that he’s going to ditch the rest of class. you weren’t here, he couldn’t talk to you, and he felt he was gonna go mad if he heard your name spoken by someone again, so he turns to leave, but flinches as he feels a hand lightly tap his shoulder.

“gojo-san?”

he turns around, with a girl that he’s never seen before standing in front of him… not that he pays attention to them in the first place, though. he raises his eyebrow in question, and the girl looks so nervous she might pass out. “i have to tell you something-“

“if it’s a love confession or whatever, i don’t want to hear it-“

“-no!” she flushes a deep shade of red, and he fights the urge to roll his eyes. she coughs awkwardly at his expression. “um, no.. it’s not that. please, just give me two minutes in the library. i have something to tell you.”

he decides to entertain this girl for a bit. he’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t curious about what she had to talk to him for. gojo sighs and says, “two minutes. that’s all you’re getting.”

“this is about the party last friday, no?” he says while taking a seat near one of the tables. he feels sick just being here. he’d never gone to the library before meeting you–as he had no reason to go here at all. then, he started accompanying you everywhere as he tried to win your heart. “study dates” were frequent here, and he even remembers forcefully changing his contact name and number on your phone during one of your dates.

gosh, everything literally reminds him of you. he can barely live like this.

she takes a seat across from him, and she shamefully nods at his words. “i went to the party on friday, and i just want to say i’m sorry-”

gojo gets up to leave. he can’t do this. he doesn’t need anyone’s pity. pity can’t change the fact that you still won’t talk to him. she panics as gojo is about to walk away. “wait!”

the librarian tells her to quiet down, and she mutters an apology. still, she persists. “please, just wait for two minutes… i need two minutes to explain myself. you promised you’d give me that.”

she stares at gojo, who hasn’t left yet, and takes that as her opportunity to speak. “i was a friend of… her,” he doesn’t need an explanation to know who she was talking about. “the reason why she came up to you was because of a dare i told her to do. she’s had a crush on you for a while now, so of course she was willing to flirt with you.”

“um, that was the dare, by the way. my friend told me to record it, because we were all drunk, and we thought it would be funny. just another memory to laugh at in the future, right? we didn’t know you were dating the girl you were with at the party. sorry but, we assumed she was just a fling… or something… we didn’t know she was your girlfriend.”

“yeah, i was dating the girl at the party.” gojo scoffs, and he feels his anger bubbling up again. “then your friend had to do that stupid dare, and she won’t fuckin’ talk to me now.”

“i’m sorry-”

“i don’t need your apologies. is that why you came up to me? to apologize so you don’t feel guilty about what happened anymore?” gojo sneers. he was right, though. guilt is ridden all over her face, and she can’t even meet his eyes. he’s about to leave, thinking that this entire conversation was useless, but gojo thinks back on what she said earlier.

“...my friend told me to record it…”

he turns back to look at her, which surprises her, to say the least. “hey, you said you recorded the dare, right?”

“uhm, yes.”

“so you still have the video?”

“it should be in my camera roll somewhere-”

“if you came here to apologize to me, then you should send me that video.” she looked a little horrified at his words, and gojo could almost laugh. “what? i’m not gonna do anything bad with it, god.”

she thinks about what gojo’s intentions could be with that video, and her eyes light up in recognition as she connects the dots from what he said beforehand. i was dating the girl at the party… then your friend had to do that stupid dare… and she won’t fuckin’ talk to me now.

she nods in understanding. this is the least she could do for him. she pulls out her phone, looking for the video, and says, “i hope you two make up soon, gojo-san.”

gojo satoru walks- no, runs out of that library with determination. determination as he finally has the video evidence of what happened at the party–his saving grace so he could finally get you to forgive him.

you miss him.

you miss him like hell, actually, and you blink at the messages he just sent you in complete disbelief.

you didn’t show up to class today because you were afraid. you were afraid to see satoru again, yes, but you were also afraid of what everyone else would say about you. the party was one thing, but the after-effects and the rumors were something completely different. you didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with that, unlike satoru, so you stayed home. all because you were afraid of what would happen on campus.

you just wish things would go back to how they were before… all of this happened. you didn’t want to admit it, but you’ve read all of satoru’s messages, and you’ve listened to all of his voicemails. you’ve cried to them. and it hurts because you’re still torn apart in the midst of your own feelings. and now, satoru wants to talk to you, because he’s been wanting to do nothing but fix everything between the two of you.

the doorbell rings, and you almost jump out of your skin. 

you didn’t even know if you would open the door or not. despite that, you felt your body moving on its own, like you were relying on your own instincts. you washed your face to get rid of the dried tears on your cheeks, brushed the tangles out of your hair, and dressed into something more presentable. the next thing you know, you’re leaning against the wall next to the front entrance. your shadow is visible underneath the door, so satoru knows that you’re here.

“hi, y/n..” he sounded so nervous that you almost laughed, but you felt equally as terrified as him. “i have something to show you… uh, on my phone. if you don’t want to see me, it’s fine, i’ll just send it to you, but i’d really prefer if you open the door and we’ll talk about this inside-”

your hand is already reaching the door knob before you can even think about it. it’s such an impulse decision that you look at him in surprise once you open the door. it’s the first time you’ve seen him ever since you were at the party. it’s only been three days, but you can’t help but notice how his eyebags are more prominent, his eyes are a little redder, and he looks nothing short of exhausted.

“hey,” he manages to breathe out, his eyes meeting yours. “can i come in? please?”

you nod, too stunned to say anything, and he exhales in relief as he walks in. the two of you sit on the couch, and gojo notices how you’re keeping your distance from him. it breaks his heart a little.

he looks for the video on his phone and gets ready to show it to you. this is it. his last ditch effort for your forgiveness. he’s really fuckin’ hoping that this works. “i got this video from a girl who came to the party. it’s a recording of, um, what happened.”

he hands the phone over to you, and you take it skeptically, still choosing to keep silent. you press play, and you watch the recording. a shaky hand holds the camera, and the person behind it says, “holy shit, she’s actually doing it!” they're presumably talking to their friend, and the camera focuses on a girl walking over to gojo. your heart is pounding, eyes widening in recognition as you stare at her... the one who caused all of this in the first place.

the all too familiar girl comes up to him, saying something out of earshot. when gojo looks at her, completely uninterested, she pulls that move. the scene you saw at the party before you ran out. tears fill your eyes again, and you almost want to stop the video, but your interest is piqued at the next part.

..this… this part was something that you didn’t see. gojo angrily reacts at the girl’s move, with her falling on the floor as she looks at him, stunned at how furious he looks. the person behind the camera gasps, continuing to record out of shock as a crowd of people turn to stare at the two. geto eventually comes into the frame and takes gojo away from all the chaos. the video ends there, and you grip gojo’s phone shakily.

holy shit.

tears roll down your face, but this time, they’re tears of relief. you waste no time in hugging satoru, crying your heart out as you bury your face in his neck. you’re happy. you’re so fucking happy, and so relieved knowing that he didn’t lie to you. of course he didn’t.

“m’sorry-” you sniffle into his shoulder. gojo is so shocked at what was happening that it takes him a second to hug you back, but when he does, he starts crying. “m’so fucking sorry i didn’t believe you-”

“shh, it’s okay, it’s okay…” he says, and you only hug him tighter. “m’so tired, you know that? these past three days fucking sucked. i’m just so glad you’re in my arms again, fuck-”

“-i love you, i love you, i love you so fucking much, toru.” you repeat, laughing as you kiss him all over his face. it’s been a while since you said that to someone. you wipe his never-ending tears away, still in disbelief, and whisper, “you’re real. right? you’re actually here with me right now ‘nd i’m not dreaming, right?

“i’m very much real, baby.” he says, putting his forehead against yours as you take in his features again. “god, i missed that pretty face so much.”

he finally closes the gap between you two, pulling you into a much needed kiss. it’s a kiss filled with so many emotions–desperation, happiness, relief. satoru thinks his heart is finally whole again. he’s missed you. he’s missed you so fucking much, and you’ve missed him too. 

you’re like an anchor to satoru. the light of his life that keeps him grounded. and god, he’s been apart from you for too long. 

you reposition yourself as you’re deepening the kiss. you’re on his lap now, and you wrap your arms around his neck, tugging on his hair in desperation. “oh yeah? ‘y gonna do anything about it?"

“of course i am,” he says, hands roaming underneath your shirt as he caresses your bare waist. fuck. he needs you. right now. especially after thinking that he was about to lose you forever–for something that he didn’t even do. “i’m gonna show you just how much i missed you, baby.”

gojo can’t let you go.

you’re in your bedroom, and both of you waste no time undressing each other. he takes you in–all of you, in awe of every crevice of your body as he trails his hands further down your waist.

god, you’re so beautiful. “i can’t believe i almost lost you.”

his words are shaky, like he’s still uncertain that you’re real and you’re in his arms again. he can’t seem to break himself away from you, almost like you’ll disappear if he lets you go. “but i’m here now, toru.”

“i’m here to stay, and i’ll never let you go again… ‘m yours,” you whisper, and your words set a fire in him, fueling his body with nothing but desperation. desperation to have you right here, and right now. 

he wastes no time in plunging two of his fingers in your cunt, and he groans at just how wet you are. “satoru-”

“fuck, you’re so wet… and it’s all for me,” he mutters, spreading your legs effortlessly when you try to close them, thighs shaking in pure pleasure. he adds another finger, and you already feel stretched to the brim, and you haven’t even taken him in yet. the thought of his cock inside of you makes you even wetter than you already are, and you look up at satoru with eyes full of lust and desire. “missed you so much, baby. missed you and your pretty little cunny,”

his fingers are long, and you whine at how full you feel right now. you’re so loud, and you don’t even care. right now, it’s just you and satoru finally feeling each other again. it’s only been three days, but it feels like you’ve been apart for years.

everything about this was filthy. from your erotic moans and the way your cunt squelched against his fingers… not to mention the vice grip you had on them- fuck, satoru thinks he can cum untouched just from watching you like this.

“haa-” you whimper when his fingers curl and hit that spot in your cunt that you can barely seem to reach on your own. it’s exhilarating, and only fuels the growing heat in your stomach. “toru- don’t stop- please, i’m close-”

“really?” he taunts, and it feels so fucking good–your head is numb, and the only thoughts filling your head are thoughts of satoru. the pleasure is too much, and you try to get away from him, but he keeps you in place, curling his fingers faster as punishment. “don’t run away from me, baby… be a good girl and just take it, yeah?”

“toru- fuck- i’m gonna cum, please-” you’re on the brink of release, but suddenly, he stops, ruining your orgasm. “no- wait-”

he pulls his fingers out, and you whine at the loss of stimulation. you were so close–why did he take that away from you? you try and swat at his hands, but he just takes his fingers and puts them in his mouth, locking his eyes with yours with a sly smile. “you taste so sweet, i can’t help it,”

“aww, is my baby mad ‘cause she didn’t get to cum?” he coos sarcastically, caging you in between his arms as he tilts your face up with his finger. “too bad… the only thing you’re cumming on tonight is on my cock.”

and with that, he eases his painfully hard member into your walls. your insides hugged him perfectly–it was like you were made just for him. you gasp once he’s fully sheathed himself inside of you. his fingers were already a lot to take in, but his cock was something completely different. he moans your name, barely keeping his cool. “fuck- you’re squeezing me so tight,”

“missed everything about you, baby. i need to hold you, please,” he pleads desperately, clasping your small hands against his. the size difference alone between the two of you almost makes him cum, but he holds himself back, choosing to bask in this intimate moment. he’s missed every part about this. “you ready f’me?-”

“-just fuck me, satoru, please-” he doesn’t need another confirmation from you.

he can’t bring himself to hold back. next thing you know, he’s fucking you into the mattress, and you feel the headboard shake at how fast satoru is going. fuck–you feel every part of him, every part of his cock as it slams against your tight hole. he’s so big, you feel yourself gasping for breath, and you moan out loud as you notice the prominent bulge forming in your stomach. it’s him, it’s all him, and it’s driving you mad.

satoru follows your eyes in the midst of all of this, and he watches everything in fascination. he decides to be a little mean, and presses his free hand against your stomach–it feels so good, you could almost scream at the pleasure. “you feel that, baby? that’s all me inside of you, hmm?”

“please-” the onset of pleasure feels so overwhelming, and tears fill your eyes. you feel an oncoming orgasm coming, and you know your release will hit you like a tidal wave. your heart is pounding, but satoru only grips your hand tighter and fucks you even harder. “oh, fuck!”

“m close, baby. are you g’na cum too?” he manages to say between pants, and you somehow nod, mind hazy and your release only coming closer. you feel your eyes rolling to the back of your head. “cum inside of me, toru- please- i need to feel you-”

gojo groans at your words, and you both cum together. you ride out your high, screaming as you spasm around his cock, the pleasure overfilling your senses until you’re trembling from it. he fills you up, staying inside of you as the two of you catch your breath. everything’s hazy, and you’re barely aware of your surroundings… it takes you a few minutes to recover. 

“angel, are you with me?”

“yeah, fuck, just… give me a second.” you say, and gojo thinks that he would gladly give you all the time in the world if you needed it. he pulls out of you with a hiss, and his warm seed drips out of your cunny. it makes his cock twitch, but he knows that you’re probably not considering a round two right now.

when you come to your senses, you notice satoru–who put his clothes back on already, wiping your legs down with a rag. his touch is so soft, like he’s afraid to break you, unlike how he handled you just a moment ago. you look down and notice the bruises starting to form on your legs and waist. satoru looks guilty as he stares. “i didn’t go too rough with you, did i?”

“not at all,” you reassure him, and you see him soften up a little. “it felt really good, actually… thank you, toru.”

“s nothing. you know my girl only gets the best,” he teases, and you laugh. “i’m gonna go get you some new clothes and some water… i’ll be back, okay?”

you nod, closing your eyes again as satoru leaves the room. he’s back in two minutes, and he’s gently changing you into new clothes that he found in your drawer. you’re so tired that you can hardly move, so you let satoru do all the work. he caresses all of your bruises, apologizing again even if you already said that it was okay. he’s so gentle, a swift juxtaposition to what just happened beforehand, and so soft with you. once you’re clothed again, he brings a glass of water against your lips, and you greedily gulp it down as he keeps a hand on your back. he places it on the nightstand once you’re finished, and you grab his wrist after, tugging him back to the bed. “lay with me for a bit, toru.”

satoru doesn’t hesitate, laying down next to you on the bed and placing your head against his chest. your breathing is back to normal, and you feel his heart thumping against your ear. you wrap your arms around him, and satoru thinks that this moment is so domestic that he can’t help but daydream. he looks at your face, memorizing every feature about you with a lovesick look in his eyes. you’re so beautiful, so perfect, and he’s just so fucking glad that he didn’t lose you. 

satoru thinks he could wake up to this everyday.

“you’re starin.” you say with an amused look on your face. gojo doesn’t even try to play it off. “what’s on your mind?”

“nothing. i just… love you so much, y/n.” he says, pulling you closer and kissing your forehead. satoru would trade anything if it meant that this moment wouldn’t end. “m so glad you chose me.”

“i think it’s the other way around,” you tease. “you chose me. ever since you saw me at the party, you’ve done nothing but try to win my heart.”

“how could i not? there was just something different about you compared to everyone else.” he reminisces about that night at the party, and how far he’s come with his relationship with you. he remembers that night like it just happened yesterday.

you sigh, almost like you were thinking about that night too. you pull him into a kiss, finally finding the courage within you to say a proper “i love you.” to the man who meant the world to you.

“i love you too, angel.” he says, and you snuggle into him tighter. “you know i’ll always choose you…”

“..from this life and into the next. i’m so glad you gave me a chance, y/n. i’ll forever be grateful to now be called your husband. i’m the luckiest man ever knowing that you let me into your life, and i’m the one who gets to read these vows to marry you. i cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you. i love you so much, y/n gojo.” he’s crying. gojo satoru is crying, and he’s hardly ever cried before. though, that changed after he met you.

the last time he cried was during pre-k, and now he’s done it time and time again… all because of you. he cried once during your first argument with him, another during the night he thought he’d lost you forever, and then another when he finally had you in his arms again once he proved his innocence… and now, during his wedding, when he finally gets to call you his wife.

and when you share your kiss at the end of the ceremony to symbolize your togetherness, you hear all your friends cheering. mainly shoko, utahime, and geto. if you showed this very scene to shoko during your university years, she’d call you crazy, saying this would never happen. gojo satoru was once a man who’d never willingly committed in a relationship before, but you came into his life and you changed everything about him. it was like magic.

you pull away from the kiss, wiping his tears away and whispering against his lips, drowning out the crowd, “thank you.”

for memorizing all my favorite foods so you could buy them for me. for walking me to class every day. for making me fall in love with you that one day at the park. for waiting for me to slowly love you even when i was scared to love. for waiting for me even if i didn’t trust you. for loving me. for proving those rumors wrong. for proving that satoru gojo is actually capable of falling in love and pouring his heart out to the one he loves the most.

for everything that you have done to love me.

it was like gojo could hear all of your unspoken words. he smiles, letting one more tear roll down his cheek, and says, “it’s all worth it if it’s for you.”

thanks for reading <3 -kami.

#kami writes #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru angst #gojo satoru fluff #gojo satoru comfort #gojo x reader angst #gojo angst #gojo x you #gojo x y/n #satoru gojo #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru smut #gojo x reader smut #gojo smut #gojo x you smut

[imaginespazzi]

Forget jealous Paige, how do we think poor KK's dealing with the fact that her father and sister were literally vibing to her song WITHOUT her 😭

Alright unserious unedited chaotic family drabble because I feel like procrastinating. Like I'm not even joking this is the most random thing I've ever written so read at your own discretion:

It's way too early in the morning when Paige's phone rings, making both her and Ice groan.

"KK what the fuck," Paige asks groggily, wiping at bleary eyes as a furious KK's face fills her phone screen.

"You said you didn't have a favorite child. LIAR," KK yells.

"Oh my god KK," Ice whines from across the room, "please shut the fuck up. My head is pounding."

"GOOD! TO MY SONG?" KK pays no attention, still as loud as ever, "HOW COULD YOU? BOTH OF YOU FUCKING TRAITORS."

"Bro you knew we were going," Paige sighs, sitting up properly.

"That's not the point. You know what give me one second. AZZI. AZZI. AZZI," and then KK's off running, blurry on Paige's screen as she yells for Azzi.

"Oh my god what? What?" Azzi's concerned voice comes through the phone, a smile replacing her frown when KK thrusts the phone in her face, "oh, hi P!"

Before a now grinning Paige can reply, KK cuts her off, "no! Don't hi P her. Did you see Ice's live? They been having the time of our lives without us. THEY WERE VIBING TO MY SONG. MY SONG AZZI!"

"Uh they're quite literally there to get drunk and party, we knew this," Azzi says, trying to hide a smile.

"Again not the point," KK sighs exasperatedly.

"What is the point KK," Paige asks with a tired yawn, "get to it then."

"The point is that you two are getting divorced and I'm finding myself a new stepfather. I will not be tolerating this disrespect," KK says firmly.

"Excuse me," Paige says shrilly, "I do not agree to a divorce."

"You don't have to. Mothers do what's best for their children and Azzi's gonna do what's best for me. Right Azzi?" KK glares at Azzi who sighs exasperatedly.

"You're both aware that you're not actually my husband and child right?"

"Excuse you," Paige screeches at the same time as KK gasps dramatically and Azzi has to mentally prevent herself from sighing again.

"Okay alright, divorce yes okay," Azzi gives in, KK squeals and this time Paige is glaring.

"Wow. It's that easy huh? Guess all of those years meant nothing to you."

Azzi shakes her head, trying to hide her smile at Paige's mock offense.

"And now to find a stepfather," KK says triumphantly and then her eyes light up with a glint as a blonde walks in, "KATE!"

Kate looks like a deer caught in the headlight as she walks cautiously towards an over-excited KK and a slightly mortified Azzi, "uhhh hi?"

"I have a very important question for you Kate," KK says with all the seriousness of the world, "are you married?"

"Uh....no?" Kate answers, confused at that line of questioning, as Azzi hides her face in her palms.

"KK what the fuck are you doing?" Paige yells at her phone, suddenly very unamused by this whole thing.

"Ssssh P-boogers, I'm about to perform a wedding."

"Umm what?" poor Kate asks, looking at Azzi for help, not used to the insanity that is the UConn women's team. To be honest, she's not fully sure if all of this is a joke.

"You and Azzi are getting married and then you're going to adopt me," KK says firmly.

"I swear we're normal people....most of the time," Azzi tries to reassure Kate.

"Dearly beloved, or unbeloved since it's Paige and Ice, I guess, we are here today to marry these two women," KK begins and then looks at Azzi and Kate who are standing a feet apart, "uh hello? You have to hold hands."

Paige splutters, "Martin I don't know you that well but if you hold her hand I swear to God."

"Oh calm down ex-father," KK fires back, "let me get my new parents married in peace. Now since there are no objections-"

"I OBJECT," Paige yells, turning to a sleeping Ice who's trying to block out the noise using a pillow, "ICE your mother is getting married to someone else, get the fuck up and come here and object with me."

"Your objections don't count because you're liars and traitors. MY SONG. MY FUCKING SONG."

"Bro you're all I was thinking about I swear," Paige pleads, "after every Bow, I was like oh my god KK would have loved this. I missed you every second I'm sorry."

"Sorry is not good enough," KK says petulantly.

"I got you a signed autograph. It was gonna be a surprise but you need to know. I swear KK, I would have had so much more fun if it was with you bro. It just wasn't the same."

"Oh that makes me feel great. Thanks Paige." Ice mumbles from under the sheets.

"ONE MAD CHILD AT A TIME THANK YOU," Paige says exasperatedly.

KK contemplates Paige's words for a moment before turning to Kate.

"I'm sorry Kate. It looks like this wedding can't go on. It's not you. It's us. Hope you understand," she says with a solemn expression, "but I already have a father and she's great. A little stupid sometimes but great."

Kate nods dumbstruck, unsure what had just happened in the last couple of minutes but she's pretty sure she's just been dismissed.

"FATHER," KK yells turns her face back to her phone, "I missed you. Let's never fight again. That was the worst 10 minutes of my life."

"SON SON," Paige shouts with glee, "let's never do that again."

Azzi pinches the bridge of her nose, wondering how she'd let this become her life.

"If the two of you are done, can I go back to rehab now?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.

Paige narrows her eyes at Azzi through the phone, "were you about to get married to someone else?"

Oh boy here we go again

#paige bueckers #azzi fudd #kk arnold #ice brady #kate martin #this is literally the most unserious thing ever like idek what was going through my brain #inspired by all the unseriousness from the weekend i gues #wcbb

[azucarmorena97]

BTS as Cliched School Tropes || (Hyung Line)

High school's over and now, the real world is at their fingertips. Let's see how the boys fair at University!

Maknae line here <3

1.) Jin: The Preppy Rich Kid

incredibly rich

incredibly dumb Not that invested in his education

Is actually pretty sweet once you get to know him (even if he is an incorrigible flirt)

throws a lot of parties bc his parents are always busy/out of town

gets overcharged for weed all the time

actually really lonely You look over at him, the moonlight seeping in through his sheer curtains shining on his face- it makes him look almost angelic. "Can I tell you something?" He asks, speech slurring slightly. You can hear the loud music and occasional cheering coming from downstairs, but he's completely unfazed. "Sure..." You're not quite sure why, but your stomach is whirring around, and your heart is beating rapidly in your chest. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever met." You blink slowly, unsure if you heard what you think you did, "What?" "You heard me," He says, finally turning to look at you. You blush and look down at your hands, unsure of what to say. "You don't belong here, you know." You scrunch your brows in confusion, "What does that mean?" "You've got an entire future to make for yourself- dreams to achieve. All of those people downstairs...me...this is all we're ever gonna be." Your heart breaks at his words, "Jin, that's not true. You've got-" He cuts you off mid-sentence, "Y/n... can you just hold me for a bit?" You're caught by surprise by his request, but you immediately sit up, wordlessly inviting him into you and within seconds, he's moving closer and leaning his entire body onto yours. His hair gently tickles your nose but you don't dare adjust yourself. In this moment, he's not the obnoxious skirt chaser that you see around on campus all the time- no, in this moment, he's small- almost childlike- and he's yours...if only for the moment. 2.) Suga: Stoner/Bad Boy

Rarely smiles in public

Reserved

Is pretty intimidating and unapproachable at first glance

Actually pretty loyal and loving

Overcharges Jin for weed (and other "party favors")

has a pretty tough home life You've seen him here in that same spot every single day; leaned up against a car, joint tucked behind his ear, sun glasses over his eyes, a bored yet vigilant expression on his face. You've never been one to mind someone else' business but you are, admittedly, very intrigued by him. Something about the way he watches people go by, the way he taps the ash off of his cigarettes- even the way he lowers his glasses to meet people's eyes. He's kind of...beautiful. You're snapped out of your thoughts by him waving his hand at you slightly, to which you respond by immediately lowering your gaze back to the open textbook in your lap. "Oh God," You mutter, completely embarrassed. Caught staring- what a rookie. "Hey!" You hear him call out but it takes you a moment to force yourself to look back up. When you do, he has a smirk on his face, almost as though he delights in flustering you. You turn side to side, making absolutely certain he's talking to you. Me? You mouth, pointing at yourself. He nods, and for the first time, you see him smile. You almost don't even know what to do when he starts making his way over to you. Your instinct is to scramble to shove everything in your bag, but you freeze like a deer in headlights. "Hey," He says. "Hi." "You spying on me?" He asks, though you can't tell if he's asking seriously or not. You furrow your brows, "No?" You motion to the book in your lap and show him the high lighter in your hand. "You sure? Because I'm pretty sure I've seen you here like, every day for the past two weeks." "Well, it is a public park, you know?" You can't help but catch a tiny bit of an attitude, seeing as how he's inferring that you only come to the park to see him. He chuckles, "True...," He crouches down to meet your eye level this time, "what's you name?" "Y/n..." "Y/n," He repeats, as though he's savoring each letter, "I like it. Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He says it so simply, like flirting is nothing for him, meanwhile you already feel your cheeks heating up and your heart beating just a bit faster. "Wh-what's yours?" You ask, clearing your throat as you try to sound nonchalant. "Well, most people call me Suga but you...you can call me Yoongi." "Yoongi." This time, it's your turn to taste. "Y/n, what would you say if i asked you for your number?" You can't help the small smile that forms on your face, not having expected such a bold request. "I...don't know. Why don't you try it and we'll see what happens." He laughs, "Okay, fine...Y/n, may I please have your number?" "Hm...I suppose I could." "Oh, you 'suppose', do you?" He laughs, reaching into his back pocket to get out his phone, handing it over to you, "Here. Type it in." You comply, saving your number under your name followed by an emoji of an open book, "There." "Perfect," He says, a smug smile on his face, "Maybe I'll shoot you a text later and we can hang out some time." You nod, "Sounds good." As he's getting up, his sunglasses that he's hung on his collar fall off and land in the grass. "Oh, you're glasses," You say, picking them up and trying to hand them to him, "Keep 'em." "You sure?" "Positive. You'd look way more beautiful in them than I ever could," He says, flashing that same smile he'd shown minutes before. He turns around and walks back to his car, the engine roaring to life as he hops in. Within minutes of him pulling off, you hear a ding coming from your phone, revealing a text notification from an unknown number, ##: 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥.

3.) Jhope: Dorky Best Friend

Funniest guy you know

gets along with like, everyone

shameless flirt

loyal

golden retriever central

definitely in love with you (think Pretty in Pink) "Hoseok, enough!" You say in between laughs, "We have to finish this lab." He sighs loudly, "Oh come on, let's just go get some coffee. Live on the wild side once in a while." You sternly shake your head, "Nope. We already 'lived on the wild side' last week when you wanted to get out of Statistics." He rolls his eyes, "Fine. Party pooper." A few minutes go by before he's gently tugging on your sleeve, "Y/nnnnnnnn..." He wines quietly. You look over at him to see he's fully puppy-dog-eyeing you. "Hoseok, how do you even pass your classes?" He shrugs, "My good looks and irresistible charm." You can't help the loud belly laugh that erupts out of you, "You're the literal worst." "Nah," He smiles smugly, "You love me." This time you're the one rolling your eyes, though admittedly, something in his smile makes you feel... "Do I?" You ask, ignoring the present butterflies in your stomach. "Of course you do. And guess what?" "What?" "I love you too," He says, completely unabashed, eyes fixed on you, lips pulled into a soft smile. Your cheeks get hot and you have to look away, "Just do the lab, you oaf." "Anything for you." 4.) Namjoon: Class President

full of himself

used to have a pretty strict no dating policy for himself. Dating is a distraction. See below

cannot get you off his mind

cocky as all hell

serious about his studies and becoming a politician

attention whore good at public speaking "Ugh, can we just take a break," You whine, throwing yourself backwards onto his bed. He tries desperately to ignore the little sliver of exposed torso, looking up at the ceiling as he speaks, "No breaks. You hired me to tutor you, and tutor is what I'm going to do." "Hire you? You're doing it for community service credits." "Ok, doesn't mean I don't have to do a good job." You roll your eyes, "Just give up. I'm a lost cause," You pull a pillow over your face, seriously considering whether or not to end it all right then and there. "Oh, come on," He gets up from his desk chair and makes his way over to sit next to you, "It's not over. We just gotta find your angle, you know? A way for you to understand the material." "But we've been at this for a week already and I've yet to learn one thing," You say exasperatedly into the pillow. He allows himself to fall back next to you, eyes fixed on the ceiling still, though this time it's to get some thinking done, "How about this- let's try for one more hour. If we get some reading done for your chemistry class, we can go take a break somewhere else," He looks over at you, automatically fighting a laugh at how ridiculously childish you look. You say something, though it's muffled and hard to understand. "What?" Again, he strains to understand but it's no use. "Y/n, I can't understand you. Take the pillow off your damn face." "I said-" You throw the pillow off exasperatedly, though when you turn toward him, your breath catches in your throat; his face only inches from yours. Instantly, there's something there- something you both feel. A connection: thick and heavy. Wordlessly, you stare for what feels like minutes. This boy who had essentially been forced to tutor you, who had been #1 on your list of most-hated people...looks completely different in this light. Almost...completely human. "Y/n..." The lowness of his voice makes your stomach feel like it's doing flips. "Yeah..." You say breathlessly. "I think we should take a break now." Slowly, he leans in, eyes closing gently, before his lips finally touch yours; gently and slowly at first, but as the seconds go by, it becomes deeper and more intense. "Namjoon." "Mm?" "I think I understand the chemistry homework now."

That's all for the hyung line! Maknae line coming soon <3

#bts x reader #bts #jin #suga #namjoon #ramponsta #rm #jhope #bts imagine #love #fluff #bts fanfic

[sminny-wew]

Self Care (Nettoverse-adjacent side story)

[@dunedragon I initially wasn't gonna expand on this past that one post but it wouldn't leave my head lol]

Some want to see // Those who've gone above Friends that they lost // People they love I'd rather meet // The me down the road To lead me through the fog // Wouldn't ask for more 🎵: "Future People" - Alabama Shakes

Hub didn't know what to make of all this.

It was already unsettling enough to find himself dropped unceremoniously into an endless and seemingly-empty white void, with Megaman nowhere to be found. It was another can of worms entirely to find yourself in the exclusive company of...well, yourselves.

Some of the counterparts he'd encountered so far were humans, like him. Others were navis, and he briefly marveled at the possibility that he could have been the sick child reborn in a virtual world, instead of his brother. One even appeared to be some kind of spirit, which admittedly made him anxious, but at the very least they did not seem outwardly hostile.

But one of these counterparts somehow managed to be both navi and human at once. And it was this one that currently sat in Hub's presence.

Hub sat at one side, his counterpart opposite him a few feet away and attention focused on the Hikari crest necklace in his grasp. Hub's understanding was that this version of himself went by Saito, his navi name being Rockman. Hub didn't have the full details; all he knew for certain was that Rockman had been Netto's (his Lan's) navi until an ancient reality-bending net entity swapped their places, making Netto the navi and Rockman the operator.

Since arriving here (wherever here was, and however long ago that had been; the inability to keep track of time here lowkey unnerved him), Hub noticed that Saito was...distant. When he wasn't interacting with his other counterparts, even then keeping conversations to a cordial minimum, he often seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack, always stopping just short by reminding himself to breathe.

The sight tugged at Hub's heart. Though he himself had never been as prone to panic, he recognized that reservation and isolation. But after everything Hub and Megaman had gone through together, how Hub had grown and changed as a person...

He couldn't bear to watch that silent suffering happen again. So he swallowed his nerves and made the first move. "Saito?"

The other boy jumped at the sound of Hub's voice, clutching his heaving chest and turning to him with green eyes wide and panicked, like a deer in the headlights. It made Hub's heart twinge.

"Um...are you okay?" he continued, pulling down his headphones so that he could hear better.

His grip relaxing against his chest, Saito calmed his breathing before answering. "Y-yes, I-I'm fine."

His eye contact was dodgy. Hub didn't want to pressure Saito, knowing his own history with shyness, but he pushed further. "Are you sure?"

Saito nodded tensely. "Yeah. I'm used to weird situations like these."

Hub's brows furrowed in concern, and, hesitating only for a moment, he reached a hand out to Saito's shoulder. "I-If you want to talk--"

Saito cringed at the touch, and Hub's hand recoiled in shock. Fearful green eyes locked with hurt brown.

What had happened to Saito to make him look at Hub with such...what even was that feeling in his eyes? Fear? Resentment?

Hub's eyes trailed to the side. "I...I'm sorry to bother you." He pulled his headphones back over his ears. "I'll give you your space."

Before Hub could shift to stand up, a hand rested on his shoulder, and now it was his turn to jolt at the sudden physical contact.

"Wait," said Saito, "I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's not your fault. Not you specifically. It's just..."

Saito ran a hand through his bangs as he took a deep breath in, then out. This would be difficult to explain without sounding like a jerk on some level.

"It's still not easy for me to see my face with those eyes," he finally answered, "Without being reminded that I'm not...him." He darted to face Hub, hands anxiously raised. "B-but again, it's not your fault! I'm just..." Saito's gaze fell to his own, unclenched hands. "I guess, even after everything, I'm still tearing down a few of my fences."

Hub cocked his brows. Fences, huh? That certainly rang a bell.

Hub shifted back into a sitting position. "I wasn't trying to pry. I only asked because...the loneliness I saw in you reminded me of how I used to be. Before I met Megaman--my Megaman--I didn't even realize I had a twin brother, though I'd always suspected it. We were only two when it happened, and I never asked my parents about the other boy in our family pictures because I could tell it still hurt them to talk about it, even if they should've just told me. The only other person I had was Maylu, and even then, we weren't as close as we used to be. It wasn't until Lan was reintroduced to me as Megaman, and we started having all these adventures, that things began to change. Maylu and I started talking again, I stopped being scared of Dex and even befriended him and Yai... And I didn't just meet new people, I also got to see so many new places and try new things!"

Hub once again slid the headphones off his ears, pulling them off and holding them in his lap. He gazed at the Hikari crest emblazoned on each earpiece.

"I know our circumstances are different, Saito, but I understand more than you might think."

A silence hung between the two boys for a moment, though the tension of before had gradually begun to disperse. It didn't even really feel like an awkward silence anymore.

It was Saito who spoke first, braving eye contact with Hub.

"I...I'm afraid of ghosts," he began, and Hub nodded, acknowledging their shared phobia. "And I used to worry that, someday, his spirit would come to take back everything I'd stolen: his life, his loved ones, his face... I don't completely feel that way anymore, but..." He paused to let out a sigh, and his eyes trailed down to his hands again. "Sometimes, when I dream, I still find myself wondering what the...original Saito would think of me."

Then, without warning, Saito found himself embraced in a sudden, gentle, warm hug.

"Well, if it's worth anything," said Hub, "I think you're doing great."

The cracked dam burst, and warm tears quickly fell from Saito's eyes. Saito hugged Hub back, his fingers digging into the back of his counterpart's buttoned overshirt as though for dear life. His sobs left him in heaves, and Hub held him the entire time.

At some point, after Saito had finished crying his eyes out, the two boys pulled away from each other and stood up, determined to figure out where they were and find their respective brothers. As they began walking, Hub looked back to Saito.

"You know, I don't think you've told me much about your adventures with your Megaman--Netto, right? Tell me about Torishima. As much as you feel comfortable sharing."

"Well," Saito began, "There's so much that comes to mind: all the textures, the smells, the colors, I don't even know where to begin." He smiled fondly. "But, I guess I could start with the ocean..."

#megaman battle network #megaman.exe #rockman.exe #hub hikari #saito hikari #nettoverse #MegaLan AU #Running Up That Hill #artsy fartsy

[cult-of-the-eye]

False God

Statement of Saskia Rambeau regarding an unusual meeting. Original statement given 3rd December 2006. Committed to tape 29th March 2024. Audio recording by [REDACTED], Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, Manchester.

Statement begins.

Oh, uh. Should I just...start? Well, ok, well- I guess I've never quite been a lonely person. Alone maybe, but it's, I've never found it uncomfortable. I have a small flat, I'm busy with my job as a software engineer, I never exactly found it easy to make friends. That's just how life is. Was. I guess.

Anyway, you don't want a sob story about my life, sorry! I, uh, first noticed something strange a couple weeks ago. Just some rustling outside my flat, which I chalked up to a cat or something, probably chasing some rat in a bush. That was, until I remembered that I lived on the top floor. It would be sort of impossible for a cat to be rustling outside my window on the top floor. I didn't go to check what it was, I'm not an idiot. I know what happens to people who are curious. It was only on the fourth night of the noises, when I was so delirious from anxiety that I had gotten less than an hour's sleep within those four days, that I cracked. I wasn't sure what I would find, just that I wanted to make it stop.

You might sit there and think, it's just a rustling noise, it's probably the wind or some piece of litter getting jostled through a drain pipe, but you don't understand. When you spend all that time with just your thoughts for company, going from screen to screen to the dark walls of your bedroom, it does something to you. And usually that's fine. Comfortable, even. But when that predictability is disturbed, you start to do stupid things, like walk up to your window with a kitchen knife tucked under your sleeve.

I inched towards it, moved more by adrenaline than coherency. The night was clear, weird for a Manchester night, but I wasn't focused on that. There was just enough moonlight to illuminate my hand and the little jutting out piece of brick just outside my window. Now that I think about it, it seems almost...intentional. I gripped on to the handle, took a few short breaths and wrenched the window open with a small shriek. There was nothing. Of course there was nothing. Of course I had tormented myself over a silly little noise for days on end, for nothing.

And then I turned around.

You know how different religions have different images of their gods? How some have 5 hands, others 10? Some view it as heresy to even try to imagine their god? Some have wildly different interpretations even within one singular religion. Describing what materialised in my bedroom that night, would sort of be like if you asked me to describe god. If you asked me 3 days ago, I would've said it was a bright, pulsating light, softening and sharpening my vision in tune of the beating of my heart in my throat. That night, I would've said it was insectoid, feelers twitching towards me in a curious manner. Yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to begin to describe the events of that night. But today? Today, it seems more like a- a deer. The one you see at 2 am on a country road, that stops you in your tracks, headlights shimmering off the darkness of their eyes. It's nothing you've seen before and you know it's nothing you'll see again. The only thing I can say with absolute certainty is that it was beautiful.

I'll be honest with you. I'm not sleeping. I quit my job. The couple of people I would occasionally talk to haven't seen me in weeks. I spend my days staring out that window, into the glorious light of the day and darkness of the night. Nothing can shroud the Holy One. Don't you see, Archivist? I didn't have anything before and now I have someone to serve. My god is benevolent, it has granted me a new chance at life. I know my identity, where I belong, clearer than I ever have and I think it's time you saw it too.

It will be beautiful.

Statement ends. Did not love that ending. The original copy came with a sealed container of what seemed to be...dust? It says "Do Not Open" and I've never been one for defying authority. Any attempted follow ups to this case have obviously led to dead ends. 2 weeks in and I'm already starting to see a pattern here. I'm...gonna...go get some water.

#tma #the magnus archives #tma fan content #statement begins #statement ends #tma fan statements

[glindaupland]

The Phantom of the Opera | Seoul, South Korea | 동팬텀 x 송크리 Review 3/6

October 12, 2023

The Phantom of the Opera | 전동석 Jeon Dong-seok

Christine Daaé | 송은혜 Song Eun-hye

Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny | 황건하 Hwang Gun-ha

Carlotta Giudicelli | 이지영 Lee Ji-young

Round 2 of Jeon Dong-seok! Ah let's see what my excuse was this time... "How could I possibly let go of a center 5th row seat that I snatched? And a different Christine, Raoul, and Carlotta means it's a different experience!" Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night, Elisa. But hey it was very different!!!

Here's my second silly little Dong-seok ticket holder because I booked both of his seats on Yes24. I was 5th row center this time, which was almost out of the chandelier's range and just ever so slightly more to the left than my previous seat. But this is still an incredibly close view …and I still brought my binoculars to stare everyone down despite that.

Hannibal Rehearsal / Think of Me

I'm really in love with Lee Ji-young Carlotta. She definitely acts like a very classy and elegant normally, but she's really cute and dramatic when she gets angry. She leans more into the Italian accent and the stubborn demanding diva attitude. I thought she fit very well with Park Hoe-rim's Piangi because of her personality and voice.

I like the detail right before 'Think of Me' starts when Song Eun-hye's Christine does this little throat clearing and nervous swallow. Her eyes were wide like a deer in headlights. Ji-soo acted more timid like she was about to melt on the spot, but she was about to bolt I think this is one of her best moments in the show. She's radiant and truly looks like a new soprano making her debut. Despite her voice still being a little strained from illness (you may or may not recall she was out a few days which resulted in the understudy Kwon Ga-min's very eventful debut), I still enjoyed her vibrant enthusiasm that shined through. Her cadenza is beautiful and she holds her last notes for such a long time before she gives the cutest proudest bow to complete the song. Hwang Gun-ha's Raoul is so funny when he gets up to cheer for Christine because he's really loud and boisterous. He's probably especially embarrassing for the managers to sit with bless his heart Unfortunately, you can't appreciate the full acting and extension of her notes with this video but you can still at least appreciate her voice:

Angel of Music/Little Lotte/The Mirror

She has lots of little girlish mannerisms in addition to the cute awkwardness before 'Think of Me'. When Meg wanted to know who taught her, Christine opened her mouth excited like she was about to speak, but then paused looking like she was very stumped about how to even begin explaining. After hugging Raoul, she was particularly flustered by the closeness and looked around nervously. She also looks at her hand and touches it in surprise when he kisses it on the way out of the dressing room. Gun-ha's voice is very unique and quite deep for a Raoul. His Raoul definitely has that charismatic aristocratic feeling. Some people find it strange, but it doesn't bother me honestly. My grievances to air are about other things that I'll explain later. I had a much closer view and better angle of 'The Mirror' this time both with and without binoculars (yes even that close I was pulling those out okay) so I was able to see the Phantom's face a lot clearer in the mirror. At one point he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply with his hand to his chest like he was really satisfied hearing her plea to him. I think SEH Christine's reacted to the Phantom like she finally needed to understand who her Angel of Music was. She was nervous, but looked slightly excited as well.

The Phantom of the Opera

I got to experience Dong-seok's third boat failure. That's four if you wanna include him crashing his Y&K Phantom boat (yes I'll always bring it up and make fun of that it's funny) I was wondering why the boat hadn't come out yet and I thought maybe it'd be okay when I saw the front peeking out a bit even though it was oddly coming out from the side rather than the back...and then I saw him uselessly rowing without moving until he just gave up. Anyway, Jesus miracles were performed once again! He very sweetly guided Christine, lighting the way for her and showing off the view. They looked at each other when they sang the "fantasies/secrets" line and he lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. He smiled when he nodded once with SJS, but because of the unique situation here, it seemed even sweeter. :') Also, since I was so close, I could see the doubles they used for the walkway above with my binoculars

The Music of the Night

SEH Christine takes a bit longer to warm up to the Phantom. She started off more hesitant and wary yet still curious. I wouldn't say she's afraid, just uncertain. JDS Phantom was especially awkward and inexperienced, even more than the last time. He felt like a younger man experiencing his first love. I just think he feels and tries to be seductive, suave, romantic, etc, but he gets so overstimulated easily that he ends up fumbling. It was like she was an alluring fire that he was drawn to, but he kept foolishly burning himself getting too close. Like before, he touched her shoulder lightly and briefly, but pulled back nervously with a wavering voice before using his other arm to wrap around her. But you could see a bit of subtle relief when she relaxed in his arms. I remember Christine sort of nuzzling in closer to him which gave him more confidence to lean in as well. He was still a little shaky though trying to hold in his emotions By the end of the song SEH Christine a lot more at ease with the Phantom and actually captivated by him. She was finally starting to understand the beauty of this music of the night that he was trying to show her. Both Christines would get very moved at the end with watery ears, but I think this is the show I actually saw the tears falling from one of them. I could see him wiping the tears from her face gently when he had put his cloak over her at the end

Stranger Than You Dream it

I'm trying not to laugh typing this, but I think the pose he had here when he turned to face her looked so...here I'll leave this:

It was this, but he was angry and covering his face with the hand that's not holding him up and leaning forward more. Everyone else was on their knees, but he had to stick his long leg all the way out for some reason which is really not important or notable I guess, but I found it amusing okay SEH Christine always watches the Phantoms while SJS looks down until the end when she starts to feel bad for him. He and Christine had a moment where they reached out to each other at the end of the crawl almost touching before he turned away quickly. I don't think she was really fully afraid of his appearance. It seemed more like his reaction was what upset her. She looked disappointed that she couldn't reach him

Notes I/Prima Donna

LJY Carlotta is so perfectly expressive and she matches so so well with Piangi. I love how she started off Prima Donna so pouty-faced. It seems like she's slowly warming up, trying to hold back from showing that their words are sort of pleasing her because she's still mad and stubborn (and maybe it's also so they can continue showering her with praise)

Il Muto

SEH Serafimo is so sassy. She just makes the silliest most exaggerated looks like pure disgust at the kiss or huge goo-goo eyes at the Countess. She puffs out her chest with her hands on her hips making a pouty face like she's this little charming tough guy. Words don't do it justice honestly. This is my favorite version of this scene

LJY Carlotta also kills me. The way she still tries to act put together, but clearly cannot keep her shit together. She lets out "말하지말고 / Don't speak" as a loud growl like she's emphasizing what she just said to her out of character before. It was hilarious watching Monsieur André's interaction with the conductor below when he was pushing for the ballet to start from this close. He was seriously about to lose his mind.

Masquerade / Why So Silent?

Sitting in a much closer seat, I think I can understand what people mean about hearing Dong-seok sing during Why So Silent. It's not so loud, but it was definitely there under the pre-recording. Under the skull his mouth moved in a much more natural way rather than the exaggerated way needed for the skull to move (which meant the mask didn't move much)

Twisted Every Way

SJS Christine looks so tired of everything during this scene, but SEH Christine is a lot more shaken up whenever she's in distress. I think it's another way her Christine feels a bit younger? But by 'Wishing' you can clearly see the growth she's gone through (although it was stronger in the second two performances I saw because she still seemed a bit ill this one) LJY Carlotta develops some more sympathy towards Christine at this point so when she says she's crazy, it sounds more like she's genuinely concerned for her mental state HGH Raoul. is so loud at the end I thought my ear drums would explode in the 5th row. You can accumulate severe ear damage between him and the ballerina screams. (Although I also just think the sound in the theaters I went to was incredibly loud because Rebecca Act 2 almost burst my eardrums as well in 2nd row)

The Point of No Return

And again, the more he's around Christine, the more destructive it is for him. You're just hurting yourself, king! He was extremely anxious around her, back to his usual route. Rather than the frustration he had before, he had quickly rising anxiety. He clutched his chest during the same line that KJT Phantom had mimicked Christine's movements at his performances. As he reached back for her on the bench, he was shaking and not brave enough to lean closer to her. This proposal he was a spineless disaster. He could barely get near her to put on the ring when he had been so forceful about it the previous performance. It didn't feel inconsistent though. It just seemed like a different branch for his Phantom, an alternate outcome for the same characterization.

Final Lair

SJS Christine was so afraid looking around and clinging to the edge of the boat when she would get taken down to the lair in 'Down Once More'. SEH looked frightened as well, but then in response to the Phantom's words she turned cold. Every performance SEH Christine would plead "잠깐만! 잠깐만! 잠깐만!" (- Hold on, hold on! or Wait, wait!) til he let her go. JDS Phantom was especially childish this performance. Or I guess in a different way? The previous show he had his angry tantrum, this one he was a complete wet mop of a man. When he said his face is what poisoned his love reaching out to her, she rejected him, turning away bitterly. But when she told him she wasn't afraid of his face, she tried to touch him and he gasped and started hyperventilating a little The energy JDS Phantom and HGH Raoul had when arguing though like oooo the girls are fiiiiightiiiing~ It was a little funny Most of his reactions to Christine's rejections like the veil throwing were actually chipping away at him this time instead of building an icy wall. I also think since SEH is the "stronger" more independent Christine these responses were maybe rougher to this more sensitive version of his Phantom When he was on the throne at the end, he reached to touch her face, but stopped and began to stutter out "날...날..시ㅣ험...하지마..." ('Don't test me") trying to stop himself from crying. This performance he opted for one of his occasional line changes - "선택해 - Choose" to "날 선택해 - Choose me!" Tears were pouring from his face and he was pulling at his collar again like he was struggling to breathe while sobbing. The kiss was similar to the one before, but I think he looked sadder When he sang "사랑해 / I love you" the first show, it was so soft you could barely hear it and the end was barely audible. This time he was choking on the word while SEH also struggled not to cry. She tried to reach out to him from the start, but because he was so stuck in his self-hatred and insecurity, they were never given a chance. So this is where they ended up. After Christine and Raoul got into the boat, he picked up the veil smiling before he slowly began to sob intensely into it. He looked like he had completely fallen apart

I think I preferred the October 8th show just because it felt so unique, but I felt so happy I could see Jeon Dong-seok twice (well three times on the trip, but twice as the Phantom) and get such different experiences out of it each time. I'm also really glad he was able to achieve his longtime dream role ❤️ I'd like to hope that in another decade-ish whenever POTO comes back he can return to the role and give us an new version with even more skills he's learned overtime (also because I think he'd be the perfect age then)

I feel like I should now mention they already had the Dracula video ads up in the theater since he made a u-turn back to the Charlotte for the show. He'll be on one of the 3 CDs for the new Dracula cast recording (why couldn't they do this for POTO) So there was double Dong-seok all over the theater. What a nice sight for me 😌

I will drop promo just because I can! He is now unmasking himself to reveal a pretty face instead of unmasking to reveal uh...well what the Phantom has going on?

Since there's not really official content of his ALW POTO, you can also have a taste of his Y&K Erik (there is also a version of the live cast recording with him as Erik with Kim So-hyun as Christine) Come join me as I pray for him to return to the show for the 10th anniversary in 2025 so I can go see him.

#I MISS YOU KING #also can you believe his poto experience has actually upgraded his dracula #hes like a whole new animal #what show can he cook in that can improve his skills for a POTO return im fascinated #the phantom of the opera #poto korea #오페라의 유령 #전동석 #송은혜 #황건하 #jeon dong seok #song eun hye #jeon dong suk #hwang gun ha #lee ji young #이지영 #poto review

[scenetocause]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers 💫

i got tagged by @verycoolwearsleather and now i have to pretend i have a writing process haha

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

it says 52 but there's actually a lot more due to orphaning/anon-ing things.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

345,519 but again i'm not sure how much tha's counting

3. What fandoms do you write for?

gross f1 twinks

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

just telling it like it is (lando/maxv)

pretty sure this is just cus it's the oldest fic i have since the account reboot because it absolutely does not merit being anywhere near the top 10 lol it's just a 5+1 about other mando being obvious (it's anon'd cus i got bored of a load of my fics and didn't want them as part of the emptyhalf canon anymore)

every colour illuminates (george/lando)

for something i started writing offhand cus some of my friends were saying there should be more trans men in f1 fic, this one sure grew legs. i'm still insanely moved by the comments it gets and the way it seemed to resonate with people. i'm not sure i can really convey how dumb i actually am in a way that'd make people believe me but i really did just write this on vibes and it's one of the things i can say i'm genuinely glad i did. idk, it's just queer porn really but maybe we need more of that.

(i) just wanna get a little bit closer (mando)

you know i don't even think this is close to my best mando fic (personal choice is no plans of staying on) so there's no accounting for taste and you absolutely should practice death of the author or whatever. anyway, it's mando cohabitation era boundary breakdown stuff where they fuck and then go on a date about it.

shoreline i see when i'm off course (loscar, mando)

people rly are thirsty for a/b/o huh. how'd this little fic get into the top five so quickly?

the usual, upside down (alex/george/lando)

literally THEE most head empty omegaverse threesome fic in history y'all are horny as fuck. it literally only got written bc george did some dumb insta post where he called lando and alex his mates and also then was walking around looking horny af in the black fireproofs and mask when he stood in for lewis. there is NO nutritional content here even by the fast food standards of emptyhalf fic.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i uh. i should. i would like to but my brain is quite severely broken. i do read them all and i bookmark a lot in open tabs to come back to and reply to because they mean a lot but then i have 6000 tabs open and no executive function.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

we don't do that here. i guess maybe if you dig into the far distant past then it was probably i'm not just a fuck up, i'm the fuck up you love which is 18k words of jev not really getting over daniel that ends on a sort of optimistically blasted-open note.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

most of them are happy but probably actually pick me up, no headlights where george and max end up with their weird little family worked out and the kids are doing well, y'know

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no i don't think enough people read them to beef me lol

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

hahahaha oh yea. i like to think i write something along the lines of realistic queer sex, with the way that means it's mostly kind of funny and sometimes awakward and isn't elegant or arch or even particularly romantic except that you're getting to do it with the person you do it with. writing lando and oscar being straight with each other, even if it's in a cringe fail way, made me realise i really do not write straight people and i feel a bit like one of those painfully hetero actors who does a gay kissing scene and talks about how they had to get themselves in the mindset by watching the l word or whatever haha. what do straight people do? who are they?

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i was gonna say no but then i remembered i wrote logan and oscar going ghosthunting and being kinda pass-agg horny about it because. idk? logan gave me ryan bergara vibes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i think someone reposted some of mine awhile ago and it got dealt with before i really knew anything about it idk

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i don't know tbh. someone made a podfic of one of my fics a way back.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yeah i used to do that quite a lot but now. i am a lone wolf. (too perverse for other people's minds)

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

jenson/lewis but society has never been ready for this

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i don't. i don't wanna let doubt enter into it but my daniel goes to fe fic is up against a number of the dark souls boss level demons in my own brain 😔

16. What are your writing strengths?

uh. i uh. i can write on my phone? i have a relaxed attitude to whether what i write is any good at all? i don't actually think i really have any.

people quite often say i have a lot of emotional intelligence in my fics which is very funny to me because i am a deeply unemotionally intelligent person so idk how that's happened really.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

look we could be here all day.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i guess it has never bothered me so long as the reader could be reasonably expected to work out the meaning from the context.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

cardcaptor sakura (i was 14)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

hmmm. in terms of thinking it's like, good or whatever it's probably don't say no or you'll have to go, the fucked up valtteri/george mutual seat envy/horror of being compared to lewis hamilton thing. or really, it's an old spy au fic called ten seconds before sunrise that i deleted ages ago so: sorry about that.

but favourite is probably some dumb mando shit or i have extreme recency bias so maybe logan and oscar go ghosthunting or whatever. oh wait, no, it's genders maxy the how-to-find-your-identity-post-racing-in-your-pussy treatise that was born of crack but ended up. no, it's still crack. anyway, classic emptyhalf shit tbh.

[stellaluna33]

Hi!!!!!

I don't know how active you'll be between now and Saturday but I just wanted to wish you the happiest of birthdays and that I'm sending good vibes your way that the party turns out like you dream it will. Have a wonderful time.

Thank you so much! The party was SO fun! The weather was... it was chilly and drizzly much of the time, which you know, put a bit of a DAMPer (😉) on things... But it wasn't full-on raining and it did clear up later (of course, the very NEXT day was bright and sunny. 🙄😂) and it WAS rather atmospheric, and we tried to just... revel in nature and the season as it was, which felt like a very elvish way of dealing with it, haha! It also meant that my dress was mostly covered up by my cloak the entire time, ah well. 😆 But here's a glimpse of it, with me standing next to my much taller younger sister, whom I cropped out because I don't know if she wants her face associated with this Tumblr blog. 😂

(Whoa. That is... a very big picture of my face, isn't it. 😐 Sorry 'bout that) As you can see, I ran out of time to make a crown of autumn leaves (and everything was wet!) OR dye my hair darker, but such is life! We ate, drank, and were merry! I DID have venison roasted over the fire, and it was INCREDIBLE; amazingly flavorful- not needing any seasoning but salt and the wood fire, and so tender that people kept asking, "Are you sure this is really venison?" (to be fair, in this area, that deer had probably been eating a lot of corn, so... 😂) One of my friends decided to be a complete troll and wore a Santa Claus suit to my "elf party" (meanwhile, his wife was wearing a gorgeous embroidered velvet robe and a pearl diadem, haha) and sang the song from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" Christmas Special, but he made up for it by also performing the entirety of "Storybook Love" from The Princess Bride, so I'll forgive him THIS time. 😂. My friend and I played our harps by torchlight, even though our fingers were chilled and the damp weather made our instruments temperamental, and Husband and I sang a Medieval war ballad in Norwegian (probably pronounced badly? 😂) chosen because it has the word "olyphaunt" in it, haha!

Those two lights in the background are actually torches and NOT somebody's car headlights, haha! Also note my cup of mulled wine to keep my fingers warm. As the night ended, my youngest child was lounging sprawled on a pile of pillows, gazing up at the night sky and saying, "This is so enchanting!" And it really was.

#A long expected party #It was really really fun #And SO MUCH work. 😂 #But it was totally worth it!

[unscrupulousartist]

hellerby fic, part 5/10

16 April 1929

Early evening found Viktor and Mordecai driving through Defiance. They wound their way between farmlands, green shoots carpeting miles of fields, until they came up to the Arbogast's Funeral Home. There, Elsa and Bobby waited on the porch.

"Goodday!" Bobby greeted as they stepped out of their vehicle. "How was the drive?"

"Long," Mordecai stretched, taking the lead up the steps. "I see nothing has changed."

"Oh, perhaps more than you think," Bobby laughed, clapping Mordecai's shoulder as he passed.

Pausing, Mordecai glared.

"Ah–haha—" Bobby lifted his hand away, and stepped back to talk to Viktor.

"How's the shoulder?" Elsa asked.

"Fine." Mordecai rolled the old injury in question. "It only bothers me when it storms."

"Lucky you," Viktor gruffed, shouldering past Mordecai. His movements were stiff, and he leaned on the doorframe as he limped into the little farm house.

"I apologized!" Mordecai hissed, fur raising. "Several times!"

Inside, the table was already set for a modest dinner. Abelard sat at the top, leaving Viktor and Mordecai to be a part of the mirror image. Everyone settled, plates were laden and cups filled, and the conversation picked back up.

"How's the kid?" Abelard asked.

"Vhich one?"

"All of them, by the by," said Bobby.

"I'm sure Miss Pepper is fine," Abelard spat. "Has the funny fellow found his demise yet?"

"Rocky fine," said Viktor. "He usually stay and play at Lackadaisy."

"We never got to hear him," Elsa sighed.

"You not miss out," Viktor frowned. "All screeching, it rings and rings in ears."

"It can't be all bad," Bobby laughed. "He was full of nonsense, but there was a natural theatrics about him."

"How's his head?" Elsa asked.

"Muddled," said Mordecai. "But you're right, the patrons seem to like him on stage. The tricky part is keeping him there, where he causes less trouble."

Viktor snorted, and the others joined in a round of laughter. Mordecai shifted in his seat to look out the front window, staring absently at their car.

"Hold on—" Rocky opened the driver side door, then stood on the edge of the frame to heft some sort of case onto the roof. 

Shrugging out of his jacket, Mordecai watched Rocky’s legs worm out of sight, before casting open his own door to stumble outside. The world went abstract, smears of shadows mingling with the car's headlights, as stars and fireflies alike twinkled overhead. Blinking, he reached back inside to retrieve Rocky’s flask. 

By then, the musician had maneuvered on top of the vehicle.

"What are you doing?" Mordecai asked.

"Be whatever else that may," Rocky sang as he opened the case. "There is yet a stage to play."

"What?" Mordecai frowned.

Rocky picked up his violin and put it to his shoulder. "It's such a pretty spot, Mr Serious Face," he winked, and began tuning. "It'd be a shame to waste it."

"Pretty?" Mordecai looked at their surroundings. There were other tire treads, where people had driven in and out from the shelter of the bridge, and some old cans and bottles that had been discarded and left behind. With the moonless night overhead, most things seemed in stark contrast with the yellow headlights. "I'm not sure I see it."

"Look with your heart, silly duckling, naught your eyes," Rocky chuckled and stood. "Hold those things you've always considered pretty and beautiful up against the light, so that you might look through them and, in doing so, cast aside reality."

"I like reality," said Mordecai. He sipped at the flask, the sharp earthy taste nearly muted on his tongue, and came around to lean on the hood.

"Perhaps you could be tempted?" Rocky asked. He struck a chord. "Or the world could be cemented; in roundabout, prevented; from choosing a path more dull?" Humming, he began to play.

"More potatoes?" Elsa asked.

Blinking, Mordecai gathered his thoughts. "No, thank you. One plate was plenty."

#lackadaisy #lackadaisy fan comic #lackadaisy fanfiction #lackadaisy fanart #fanfiction #i haven't picked a title #the fic has been written but i'm still illustrating it #posting all the parts here before i upload to ao3 later #hellerby #mordecai x rocky #mordecai heller #rocky rickaby #*slaps fic* this baby can fit so many headcanons #nonlinear #flashbacks

[pandagirl45]

I want to see something about Steve meeting Rhodey's family, please🥺

Ooh. That will be something I'd write eventually.

I like having rhodey mom and sister still alive. Not a big family, some members aren't there.

Steve tapped at the suitcase, even as rhodes drove out of the state to the place his boyfriend grew up. As the tall buildings began to dwindle and change, the intensity of steve energy began to shake.

He wonder if he can back out. Maybe have taken Tony offer to come with them. The silence was killing steve as he wondered how to explain... well, 'Hi I'm steve rogers, I have done a lot of questionable things. Also, your son is amazing.'

He looked at hos phone, a text from buck about meeting them there later. Visiting Maria grave. Isn't that a doozy. Steve wonder if he has to meet rhodes father. How would his father and mother take to rhodes dating him? Would they be painfully polite? Would they disapprove? What if they disown rhodey? Steve could jump out the car and sprint it to a train station. Hide away and wait till the desire to meet the family died off.

He met Tony! That was enough fami-

"Blondie, breath."

Wheeeeze.

Steve looked over, at a corner store, rhode smiled. Even with the colonel body looking calm, he can see the nervous energy in those chocolate eyes, "Jim," Steve rubbed at his face, "what if they hate me?"

"Then they hate you," rhodey leaned back showing a bag of pretzels, "it won't change this though, as much as that would suck not to see eye with them."

Oh. Steve wonders if this is karma for the shit he pulled during-

"Hey," Rhodes hand was on his cheek, rubbing his half-assed attempt at shaving before leaving, "It'll be fine. I'm an adult. You are. We both made mistakes. My mom, like most moms are protective. I'd be sweating bullets meeting your mom. The war machine, steven," Steve chuffed with laughter as rhodey grinned. Even if his mom would call him Steven, Steve wasn't sure if rhodes mom would like him.

Even with their small talk, Steve barely felt calm. Even when James open the door for him (huh, that was new), Steve didn't want to move. There was about two cars in the drive way besides rhodey. Even as rhodey knocked and opened the door. The sounds of music and laughter. Steve prayed that Tony comes so he can hide away.

"Boyfriend? Where?" It was teasing.

"Jeannie."

Rhodes looked around, back to steve who stood stalked still. Before he can move, he heard his mom strong but kind voice, "Jim, baby, why is that boy standing out there? Deer in the headlights."

Rhodey fondly kept his eye roll away, kissed his mom cheek, "he is nervous." Even as he said that, the pilot went over, grabbed the captain hand and took slow steps. Rubbing his thumb into the back of the hand.

The tall blonde swallowed as he approached closer. Bad guys, corrupt people, hell an angry cat, he can deal with but this, he wanted to melt away. Seeing Mrs rhodes, Tony fondly called her mama rhodes, rhodey little sister, dressed semi formal. It was a lot.

He held out his hand knowing his palm was shaking and wet, "hiimsteebrogersnicetomeetyou!"

Mrs rhodes blinked once, looked to rhodey then back to him. Rhodey rubbed at his back as she spoke, "I see why my son said you are a tall one." It was a tease, a faint pull of a smile, "come on, the chill."

Meeting his mom was a whirlwind. His sister was a lawyer, debating ethics with rhodey who was trying to get a raise out of her. There was a cousin or two, but he knows they were wary, a slow mumble of a 'white boy and being a danger'. Rhodey face must of said something, he went a spiel about wanting to upturn the entire government.

That is how he learned his father, Terrance, passed on. How he wouldn't even be proud what the hell was going on. There was a side to rhodey he was seeing in the flesh. Professional mask off. It became even more apparent as Tony bounced in, tackled the man, causing a rough house match to happen.

Bucky mingling with, rhodey aunt Steve believes. Even small. There was a lot.

Feeling a tap at his shoulder, steve looked over seeing Mrs rhodes in the kitchen. Food simmering. Going over, he swallowed. Impending shovel talk?

Impending talk about he isn't good for her son?

What?

"Now," she began eyes distant before they are here again, "my son, he is a stubborn man. Loyal. He can be insecure. When he told me he has a boyfriend, he was quick to jump to the conclusion I'd disapprove. He is intelligent but he is also crazy like his father. Crazy with love. Family. Duty. I'm sure you will or do know this."

He does. Funny. Quick to protect. A slow rage that can build behind the calm. Calculating. Handsome. Strong. Not bottle Strong.

Mrs rhodes sighed with a smile holding a spoon, dipping into some broth, passing it on to him. Steve held it in surprise, before taking a sip, "Take care of him for me? We need all the help we can get."

Blushing, Steve nodded, "its good, the broth and yes ma'am." He held the spoon. Mrs rhodes gave a smile, shooing him off to enjoy the game being set up. "Anthony."

"I'm coming mama rhodes!"

Steve felt his face hot, the warm hand in his neck, "you good blondie?"

"I'm good," he looked at his cards, even as Jeannie chuckled about blondie, a finger showing to her from rhodes, "the broth is good."

Something about her letting him try food being a sign of good faith. Steve wasn't going to jinx it, he was going swim in it.

[I can keep going on. Meeting the family is so great. Rhodey family revealing all the secrets to steve later]

#thank you for the ask! #ask me anything #warshield #drabble #steve rogers #james rhodes #steve rogers x james rhodes #they are R and R #pfft thats cute

[kayjaydee17]

I'm meant to be finishing up my thesis, but here we are, with almost 1000 words of a beginning. I'm going to write this and I'm going to be angry about it the whole time.

"Dad will find us."

Jonathan knows that Jordan is trying to be helpful. He knows that and so he tries to bite down on his irritation. But when Jordan repeats the same sentence for the fifth time, Jon has to bite back on a retort. I know or Is he? You haven't mentioned or I fucking know Dad will find us but he isn't here yet and that's not particularly fucking helpful, is it.

He can hear his dad's voice in his head, chiding him for his language.

Jon swallows the words down, past the lump in his throat. Maybe it's helping Jordan to say it out loud, remind himself that Dad will be here, that there's nothing they could ever do that would stop Dad from coming after them.

Even after last night, even after the terrible things Jon said, the look on Dad's face as he turned away --

Jon shoves the thoughts out of his head. He can't think about that right now. If he thinks about that right now, he'll cry, and if he starts to cry, Jordan will panic, and if Jordan panics --

Well, it's not like he can lose control of his strength or heat vision, not with those kryptonite cuffs fastened tightly around his wrists. But Jon's seen Jordan in the middle of a panic attack, and it's the worst thing, standing helplessly to the side while his twin struggles to breathe.

Jon feels like he's done a lot of that lately -- standing helplessly to the side, unable to do anything, absolutely useless to support his family.

He bites back on the frustration. Now isn't the time to fixate on that, not when Jordan's just as helpless as he is.

They've been trying to piece together exactly what happened. The memories are fuzzy; Jon wonders if the kryptonite is affecting Jordan's memory and he thinks he may have been hit on the head. They were walking down one of Smallville's many quiet rural roads, both of them still furious even hours after the fight. He could see that Jordan was itching to run as fast as he could, to punch something and send it crumbling into pieces. If he could fly, Jon was sure he'd be longing for that, too. His twin was practically vibrating with anger and unspent energy. But he matched his steps to Jon's and kept pace with his much slower, much more human brother.

("You know you're not actually more human than me," Jordan had once said. "You're half-Kryptonian, too."

Jon had simply shrugged in response. He didn't have anything to say.)

The car had come out of nowhere, speeding down the road towards them without its headlights on. It swerved in front of the boys and screeched to a stop. Jordan flung out an arm and caught Jon across the chest, stopping him in his tracks.

Jon couldn't remember how many people had poured out of the car. Seven? Ten? Enough to surround the boys. They were dressed in all black, masks pulled up to cover the lower half of their faces, and each of them held a gun pointed at Jonathan or Jordan.

"The ELT," Jordan said. He tried to stand in front of Jon, but it was impossible with people on every side of them. "Jon, the ELT."

Jon fumbled in his pocket. His fingers didn't find anything but his house key, and his entire body went very cold. "I don't have it," he said. He could barely make himself say the words. "Jordan, run," he said. He shoved at his brother. "Run," he said, because Jordan could get out of here, Jordan could shove through this group and disappear down the road and keep himself safe, secrets be damned --

But right as Jon shoved his brother, desperate to make him go, to leave Jon behind and safe himself, to get Dad, a gun fired. Jon screamed as the green-glowing bullet slammed into Jordan's shoulder.

(He doesn't remember what he screamed. It could have been no or maybe it was Jordan's name or maybe it was a wordless cry of anguish.

He doesn't allow himself to think that he may have screamed, "Dad."

Because if he did -- and Dad didn't hear -- Dad didn't come -- then what does that --

Jon shoves the thoughts out of his head.)

Things got a little fuzzy after that.

Jon remembers being shoved to the ground and having his arms wrenched behind his back. He remembers trying to struggle and the person kneeling on his back slamming his head into the asphalt. Warm blood trickled from Jonathan's hairline and into his right eye. Metal cuffs were fastened around his wrists. Right as he tried to scream for Dad, a wad of fabric was shoved into his mouth, hard and deep enough to make Jon gag. Jon felt a sharp prick on the inside of his elbow.

The world went black. 

(please consider this permission to come talk about this show with me. in fact, consider this begging you to come talk about this show with me)

#superman and lois #jonathan kent #jordan kent #superman fic #clark kent #lois lane #guess who cannot write action scenes #or plot! #the plot is purely in service to the hurt/comfort! #I know nothing about superman #I've only watched season one of this show #and yet it's eaten my brain #and here I am #send help

[lapinaraoflimbo]

Modest Mouse is one of those bands that makes me feel seen. I put it on and all of the sudden I'm just looking at myself. Scared little girl trying to understand what living in the west really means. Growing up with everything around you dying. Ghost towns appearing from places you never thought about. There's something about the West that gets to you. Driving and seeing nothing. It's cold, there's snow on the ground. You can always see a mountain. It's always far away. The sage is pretty and sparse and looking at it too long fills you with a rage that makes you despise yourself.

Nobody was meant to be out here. Not like this. It's meant to be better than this. There's still an hour until you reach the next rest stop. Nothing is going to be there either. You're going to have to confront your anxiety and deal with the people there even though they don't exist. Their entire lives have been spent somewhere so far away you can only imagine it and now you're pissing next to eachother and then you'll both forget about eachother.

The sun's going down. The sunset is pretty. It should make you feel inspired. Golden grow against that somewhat cloudy sky. Words can't express how pretty the sunsets are out there in the middle of nowhere. Nobody can appreciate them. Anyone who could wouldn't be traveling through the West like that. It's so empty, always. Sometimes you pass a house. There's an entire generation of lives that have lived in it. Who knows how much more. Those are just the houses by the interstates. How many are hidden behind the hills and the fog. waiting under the horizon for strangers you'll never be able to meet.

You're still driving. Your body is going limp and numb from sitting in the car so long. You don't want to get out. It only means more time spent in the car. There aren't going to be any inns to stop in. Even if there were they'd be too expensive. The West isn't hospitable to those that don't live in it. It's barely habitable for those that do.

You have a place you call home there, somewhere in the West. It's some backwater place that you can't really hate. It's why you can't bring yourself to hate the rest of the west. It's all going to be as shitty as the place you're from but it's still somebody's home. Even if nobody wants it to be their home.

You've arrived at the rest stop. It's empty but there's grass despite it all being in the desert. You would sit on it for a bit if it wasn't cold and dark. Rest stops aren't really the type of place that you want to stay at for long anyways. There's a restroom and a vending machine and some information board made out of plastic that the Idaho Bureau of tourism put up 10 years ago when the place was built. Someone must come by and clean it but nobody has put in any effort to maintain the place outside of the bathrooms. One of the doors doesn't even work, but at least you can still get in.

The lights are harsh and you walk around for a bit. You forgot what it was like to be able to see around you. You're not sure how to feel about it. It's not like you could stay even if you liked it. Your legs are sore but stretching them feels good. The air is fresh, and the stars in the sky are starting to shine. Out in the desert they're gorgeous. Seeing them like this makes you think about the people in cities who grow up without stars. It's time to get in the car and drive again. 2 more hours until your destination. You won't be stopping until you get there. The headlights of cars are the only lights for miles. You'll never be able to meet anyone in them. You hope that the next 2 hours go by quick.

#my writing #I don't know what this is

[arasokanbina]

New Jeans comforts my 90s heart. So nostalgic, magical and haunting.

I'm still not sure what to make off the MV reveal. I feel like I am attaching myself to it a lot here but it feels like when you're a teen and you dream and imagine what it'd be like to be happy in school because in reality you're alone and only have your dreams. It's sad but it's comforting my lonely teen memories.

More thoughts below

After watching the B side version I have more thoughts but these are more on a potential story of the MVs and more personal thoughts (for the most part).

Heesoo is the main character along with the boy classmate who she has a crush on. Whilst he is also interested in her, his is mostly more of concern from how she is acting.

In both MVs a deer is shown, a young deer at that. Showing the eyes, I think it's lighting telling the story that Heesoo got into a car accident as with the expression 'Deer in the Headlights'. It's a dual form of her being in a trance from her crush and by a car accident as we see her with a cast. The deer also being a Doe can also be meaning 'Jane Doe' representing missing or unknown human females (her friends) and the deer being a young Doe portraying youth.

The camera footage is also not just nostalgically damaged but potentially by the car crash. Her dropping it from the roof for me was her finishing off her memories after she wakes up coming to the reality. This could be a reality of her being a sole survior of an accident or of my personal take of her being lonely. This could also be mix of the two fro her actions after being in an accident imaging friends in her headlight state. It could also be less dark and her trance is with her crush of the student but I think it is the former because at the end you see her looking through those memories on tape going through the loop again.

However a positive is that the male student is seen walking her home in the rain. I think that shows that there are people that care about you even if it's not the same way as you do or you'd like them too and also showing people can look out for others who are not acting right. A simple thought of 'Oh they're being weird', might be more deep then that and taking a few moments to help the deer get out the road saves them from a worser fate and also you.

Another visual idea is of the cat. Cats having '9 lives' can be a representation of a life loop, the cat is also black known for being 'bad luck' whislt being ironically lucky.

(Note I don't believe black cat are bad luck or evil, they are all cute babies.)

Notes: As usual I might add more later and there is probably some spelling and grammar mistakes. I also wanted say that this is of course my personal take and I might be missing some media or art references that might add more context to scenes of final thoughts. However as usual these are my initial thoughts and opinions.

On a less metaphorical long winded take, Heesoo is struggling with the loss of her friends who are haunting her with memories, whilst she passes between reality of having a heart crush to her heart being crushed.

Finally it could also be that Heesoo is the ghost and the students are noticing her ghost before she moves on. Or even more out there is that its a school of ghosts and Heesoo is a new student transferring to it after she passed away. A new type of grieving her human life with her new after life. We as humans have memories of ghosts but ghosts having memories of humans is an interesting and beautifully emotional idea.

The MVs are thought provoking, emotional and of course nostalgic. I like the story element and that is is emotional because that is nostalgic and New Jeans is my comfort, even though I don't want to be sad haha. But it did show relief from her crush noticing her struggle and that is comforting. However I'd rather no more sad stories please lol.

#my comment #Fav songs #Fav mv #new jeans ditto #Youtube #Long post

[infinitetelevision]

Howl To Get Away With Murder

Wild Cards. Season 1, Episode 3.

Decent episode of a standard police procedural show (and all that comes along with that...)

We're still establishing everything, taking our time getting started and starting to get a better idea of our characters. I'm really enjoying Max's character - her enthusiasm and joy. Ellis I like because he's a good guy, but he's also quiet, so it'll take a bit longer to get to know him. We got a little bit of development of them as a team, which was nice.

The plot was decent as well. Nothing ground breaking, but I didn't see the murderer coming, or the reason for it, so it worked for me. Bits of it were odd and seemed unfinished, but, overall, I liked it.

Show so far: ⭐⭐⭐

Episode: ⭐⭐⭐

-Ace Analyst

More spoilery talking points below the cut:

Specific talking point number 1: Teamwork. We start the show with the rest of the (mostly) nameless cops doing teamwork exercises, with Ellis excluded as seems to be usual. I really thought this would be a bigger over arcing theme, and while it certainly came up at key points, it was mostly content to be forgotten for the investigative parts of the episode. I liked Max's enthusiasm on being a team, though it's too early to say how much of that is just her and how much she actually likes Ellis. There's certainly fondness, but that might just be her rolling with the punches life throws her way. I also liked Ellis eventually picking up the teamwork book and going to apologize to Max. (That they both flipped through it was a subtle thing pointing to their growing partnership.)

Other shows might have had the teamwork thing threaded throughout the plot (for good or bad), with the murder itself having something to do with teamwork, but that didn't happen here. I'm glad they didn't try it because, done wrong, it can be a bit preachy, like the episode is a giant lesson and, while I'm enjoying the show, I'm not sure I have that much faith in the writers yet.

Specific talking point number 2: The witches plot. Okay, normalizing polyamory, cool. I liked that. But it really didn't have anything to do with the murder. They could have withheld it from the episode entirely and nothing about solving the case - or even Max and Ellis being better teammates - would have changed. Our victim was killed because he stumbled into the winery owner's plot; we needed the wolf-lady for her land, but the rest wasn't as satisfying. It made sense from a realistic standpoint - not every lead will pan out - but writing-wise it didn't seem necessary. Plus, there's no way that teacher drove through those woods in the dark and didn't notice headlights behind him the whole time. That was a bit much. I'm also still not fully sure on who the final romance was with? Did the wishbone mean he was dumping the other two for the wolf-lady, even though she was already fine with polyamory? Or was there another partner that just never got touched on? Or did I just miss something? Or was it just what I was saying - not relevant to the plot?

Specific talking point number 3: The conclusion. The moment Ellis and Max split up I figured something would go wrong, so I saw that coming, though I admit at first I thought it was Max that would run into trouble. Max's solution was not something (I hope) a cop would have ever done (bringing more people toward the danger), but it was clever and I liked it.

On a related note, the winery-owner being the murderer worked for me. I didn't see it coming, but on hindsight I liked the hint about the expensive bottle of wine they noticed on first visiting the place. The chef working there was clearly only a plot point to get them to interact with the guy (in these types of shows, the murderer always has to be someone we've met before, or at least heard of), but it being next door to the wolf sanctuary was also a subtle hint. I don't think anyone was really supposed to guess about the tunnels, but the GPS signal fading in and out was also clever.

Minor point 1: I liked Max commenting on Ellis' stoic reactions in the face of his colleagues' scorn. I like that it's getting acknowledged, and I'm interested in seeing where it goes.

Minor point 2: Still confused about Max's dad and the cell phone, but I'm still guessing he's got some contraband and whatnot in prison.

Minor point 3: I didn't like Ellis rolling his eyes at the guy at the butcher's store when he said the van was missing too. Yeah, it's a big point in the investigation, but it rubbed me the wrong way. Still, it's a part of Ellis's character, it's understandable to get frustrated, and he didn't say anything out loud. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Hey, not all reactions can be logical.

#Wild Cards #TV Review

[trinity-mia]

a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

1.9 creating life-long grudges

warnings : large-scale sword fight, mention of injuries, ares is also angry, cussing, mention of guns (that aren't actually guns)

word count : 3.7k

1.9 Thank the Gods for All Those Years of Sword Training Because... Yikes 

A Coast Guard boat picked us up, but thankfully they were too busy to keep us for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. Or why my backpack had been completely dry (yes, I was going to compromise everything just so nothing of mine would get ruined. Call me shallow, I don't care). They probably thought our boat had capsized or something. Anyway, there was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls. They didn't have time to worry about us. Or about me being me, which I was pretty stoked about. 

They dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around our shoulders and water bottles that said I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! and sped off to save more people.

Our clothes were sopping wet, even mine. When the Coast Guard boat had appeared, I'd silently prayed they wouldn't pick me out of the water and find me perfectly dry, which might've raised some eyebrows. So, I'd willed myself to get soaked. Sure enough, my usual waterproof magic had abandoned me, sparing only my Louis backpack. 

Luke was barefoot, having given his shoes to Grover to cover up his hooves after his shoes disappeared somewhere in the ocean. Better the Coast Guard wonder why one of us was barefoot than wonder why one of us had hooves.

After reaching dry land, we stumbled down the beach, watching the city burn against a beautiful sunrise. I felt as if I'd just come back from the dead— which I guess I technically had. My backpack was heavy with Zeus's master bolt. My heart was even heavier from seeing my mother. It felt like I had abandoned her, even though she'd have been pissed at me if I'd chosen her over one of my friends or myself.

"I don't believe it," Luke said. "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick," I interrupted him. "A strategy worthy of Athena. You get it right? You know what happened?"

"I know," he grimaced, eyes dropping to the ground. "I get it."

"Well, I don't!" Grover complained. "Would somebody—"

"Allie..." Luke murmured, reaching out to touch my shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry..."

"The prophecy was right," I said instead, dusting off my wet skirt uselessly. "'You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades' helm, and framed me because I'm Poseidon's daughter. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war. And I'll have caused it." Luke pulled me into a hug and it took everything in me to keep from crying.

Grover shook his head, mystified. "But who would be that sneaky? Who would want a war that bad?"

I stopped in my tracks, staring grimly down the beach. "Gee, let me think about that for a fucking moment."

There he was, waiting for us, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its headlight turning the sand red.

"Hey, kid," Ares said, seeming genuinely pleased to see me. "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked me," I accused, rage welling up in my chest. "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned. "Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power, that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? One of your kids? Clarisse was at the winter solstice, but she would never have done something like that. She's a good person. I suppose she must get it from her mother's side."

My statement seemed to amuse him. "Doesn't matter. The point is, kid, you're impeding the war effort. See, you've got to die in the Underworld. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus's master bolt, so Zeus'll be mad at him. And Hades is still looking for this..."

From his pocket, he took out a ski cap, the kind that bank robbers wear, and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness," Grover gasped.

"Exactly," Ares said. "Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"You fucking bastard!" I cried furiously. I had never been so pissed off in my life, both with Ares and myself. I had played right into his trap.

"But this war will tear the world apart!" Luke protested.

Ares shrugged. "Best kind of war. The bloodier the better, I always say."

"You gave me the backpack in Denver," I crossed my arms in front of my chest to keep myself from leaping at him with my bare hands. "The master bolt was in there the whole time."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like those swords you got, kid. They always return to you, right?"

I wasn't sure how Ares knew about that, but I guess that a god of war had to make it his business to know about weapons.

"Anyway," Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way, no big loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head. "Why didn't I... yeah... with that kind of firepower..."

He held the trance for one second... two seconds...

I exchanged confused and nervous looks with Luke who was gripping his own sword pommel tensely.

Ares' expression cleared. "I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught red-handed, holding the thing."

"You're lying," I declared. "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!" He snarled as smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, making it seem as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft," I guessed. "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn them over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let them go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

I hesitated at that. Then I gave him a half-smile that said 'I won.' "Who said anything about dreams?"

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk. "Let's get back to the problem at hand, sugar. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hard-headed idiots to listen to you. So I've got to kill you. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin seven at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at me with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

I stepped into the surf, taking strength from the ocean swirling around my feet. "Fight me yourself, Ares."

He laughed, but I heard a little edge to his laughter... an uneasiness. "You've only got one talent, kid, running away. You ran from Echidna. You ran from the Underworld. You don't have what it takes."

"Try me," I retorted, grabbing my swords and falling into the familiar attack/defense position I had first been taught, then drilled into my head until it was second nature.

"Angel," Luke muttered.

"Stay back," I replied softly. "I got this, I promise."

"No direct involvement," Ares drawled, the heat from his eyes melting his sunglasses. "Sorry, sugar. You're not at my level."

"Allie, run!" Luke cried, just as the giant boar charged.

But I was done running from monsters. Or Hades, or Ares, or anybody. As the boar rushed me, I sidestepped and slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at my feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

"Wave!" I shouted.

Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

I turned back to Ares. "Are you going to fight me now?" I asked. "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares' face was purple with rage. "Watch it, kid. I could turn you into—"

"A dolphin," I suggested scornfully. "Or a seahorse? Yeah, I'm fucking sure. That'd save you from getting your godly ass whipped, wouldn't it?"

Flames danced along the top of his glasses. "Oh, man, you are really asking to be smashed into a grease spot."

"If I lose, turn me into anything you want. Take the bolt. If I win, the helm and the bolt are mine and you can go fuck yourself."

Ares sneered and swung the baseball bat off his shoulder. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

I showed him my swords.

"That's cool, gorgeous," he said. "Classic it is." The baseball bat morphed into a large, two-handed sword. It was probably the size of me with a hilt shaped like a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Angel," Luke begged. "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward," I told him, lifting my head determinedly.

He swallowed. "Take this, at least. For luck." With that, he took off his camp necklace and tied it around my neck. He looked like he wanted to do something else, then thought better of it.

"Thanks. I'll win this. Don't worry about me."

"And take this," Grover added. He handed me a flattened tin can that he had probably been saving in his pocket for a thousand miles. "The satyrs stand behind you."

"Grover... I don't know what to say."

He patted me on the shoulder. I stuffed the tin can in my back pocket.

"Are you all done saying good-bye?" Ares came toward me, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise. "I've been fighting for eternity, honey. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

A smaller ego, I thought in a snarky tone of voice, but I said nothing. I kept my feet in the surf, backing into the water up to my ankles, accepting the strength it gave me.

Ares charged at me and cleaved downward at my head, but I wasn't there.

My body thought for me. The water seemed to push me into the air and I catapulted over him, slashing as I came down. But Ares was just as quick. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt.

He grinned. "Not bad, not bad."

He slashed again and I was forced to jump onto dry land. I tried to sidestep, to get back to the water, but Ares seemed to know what I wanted. He out-maneuvered me, pressing so hard I had to put all my concentration on not getting sliced into pieces. I kept backing away from the surf. I couldn't find any openings to attack. His sword had a reach several feet longer than Riptide and Shaker.

Get in close, Luke had told me once, back in our sword class. When you've got the shorter blade, get in close.

I stepped inside with a thrust, but Ares was waiting for that. He knocked Riptide out of my hands and kicked me in the chest. I recognized the feeling of my ribs breaking, at least four of them, as I went airborne. I flew twenty, maybe thirty feet. I would have broken my back if I hadn't crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

"Allie!" Luke yelled in warning. "Cops!"

I was seeing double. My chest felt like it had just been hit with a battering ram, but I managed to get to my feet.

I couldn't look away from Ares for fear he'd slice me in half, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw red lights flashing on the shoreline boulevard. Car doors were slamming.

"There, officer!" somebody yelled. "See?"

A gruff cop voice: "Is that Allie Jackson? What the heck...?"

"That guy's armed," another cop said. "Call for backup. We need to get her out of there."

I rolled to one side as Ares' blade slashed the sand. I lunged desperately for my sword, scooped it up, and launched a swipe at Ares' face, only for my blade to be deflected again.

Ares seemed to know exactly what I was going to do the moment before I did it. Damn him to Tartarus for being a god. Cheaters in every sense of the word. 

I stepped back toward the surf, forcing him to follow.

"Admit it, kid," Ares smirked. "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

My senses were working overtime. I now understood what the others had told me about ADHD keeping you alive in battle. I was wide awake, noticing every little detail.

I could see where Ares was tensing. I could tell which way he would strike. At the same time, I was aware of Luke and Grover, thirty feet to my left. I saw a second cop car pulling up, siren wailing.

Spectators, people who had been wandering the streets because of the earthquake, were starting to gather. Among the crowd, I thought I saw a few who were walking with the strange, trotting gait of disguised satyrs. There were shimmering forms of spirits, too, as if the dead had risen from Hades to watch the battle. I heard the flap of leathery wings circling somewhere above. And more sirens of course.

I stepped farther into the water, but Ares was fast. The tip of his blade ripped my sleeve and grazed my forearm.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns. Set them on the ground. Now!"

What guns?

When I next looked at Ares's weapon, it seemed to be flickering; sometimes it looked like a shotgun, sometimes the true form of a sword. I didn't know what the mortals were seeing in my hands, but I was pretty sure it wasn't something that'd work in my favor. 

Ares turned to glare at our spectators, which gave me a moment to breathe. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.

"This is a private matter!" Ares bellowed. "Begone."

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

"You son of a bitch," I hissed at him.

Ares roared with laughter, his sides shaking. "Now, sugar, it's time to add you to this barbecue."

He slashed. I somehow managed to deflect his blade. Then I got close enough to strike and tried to fake him out with a feint, but my blow was knocked aside. The waves were hitting me in the back now. Ares was up to his thighs, wading in after me.

I felt the comforting rhythm of the sea, the waves growing larger as the tide rolled in, and suddenly I had an idea. Little waves, I thought. And the water behind me seemed to recede. I was holding back the tide by sheer force of will, but tension was building, like carbonation behind a cork. And it was hard. I wouldn't be able to hold this for long.

Ares came toward, grinning confidently, as if he had already won the battle. I lowered my blades, as if I were too exhausted to go on. I wasn't quite done yet though.

Wait for it, I instructed the sea. The pressure now was almost lifting me off my feet, I was going through a cycle of getting worn out and being reinvigorated again. Ares raised his sword. That was when I released the tide and jumped, rocketing straight over Ares on a wave. Thank the gods I knew how to surf.

A six-foot wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed. I landed behind him with a splash and feinted toward his head, as I'd done before. He turned in time to raise his sword, but this time he was too disoriented, and he didn't anticipate the trick. I changed direction, lunged to the side, and stabbed Riptide and Shaker straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heels.

The roar that followed the wound made Hades' earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boots. The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded. I felt a surge of incredulousness that he was reacting so melodramatically to such tiny wounds. I had most of my ribs broken, risking a lung puncture and I was still fighting. I hadn't even 'umphed'. Ares would never make it as a demigod. Then again, those ribs were healed now because of the water, so I did have that going for me. Still, though. Talk about dramatic. 

He limped toward me, muttering ancient Greek curses.

Something stopped him.

It was as if a cloud covered the sun, but worse. Light faded. Sound and color drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the beach, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing, and making me feel like life was hopeless, fighting was useless. I hadn't felt like that in a long, long time.

Then, thank Olympus, the horrible darkness lifted.

Ares looked stunned.

Police cars were burning behind us. The crowd of spectators had fled. Luke and Grover stood on the beach in shock, watching the water flood back around Ares's feet, his glowing golden ichor dissipating in the tide.

Ares lowered his sword.

"You have made an enemy, godling," he warned me. "You have sealed your fate. Every time you raise your blades in battle, every time you hope for success, you will feel my curse. Beware, Astraea Jackson. Beware."

"You did that to your own damn self. Don't think challenging someone you can't beat is a good idea." I also think mocking Ares was a good idea, but I was too pissed to think about that. 

His body began to glow.

"Allie!" Luke shouted. "Don't watch!"

I turned away as Ares revealed his true immortal form. I somehow knew that if I looked, I would disintegrate into ashes. After what seemed like an eternity, the light died.

When I looked back Ares was gone. The tide rolled out to reveal Hades' bronze helm of darkness. I picked it up and walked toward my friends.

But before I got there, I heard the flapping of leathery wings. The three Furies with lace hats and fiery whips drifted down from the sky and landed in front of me.

The middle Fury, the one who had been Mrs. Dodds, stepped forward. Her fangs were bared, but for once she didn't look threatening. She looked more disappointed, as if she'd been planning to have me for supper, but had decided I might give her indigestion.

"We saw the whole thing," she hissed. "So... it truly was not you?"

I tossed her the helmet roughly, which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades," I instructed her curtly. "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war. Also, tell him I told him I wasn't in New York and maybe he should listen to me more often if this is going to be a common occurrence."

She hesitated, then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips. "Live well, Allie Jackson. Become a true hero. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again..."

She cackled, savoring the idea. Then she and her sisters rose on their bats' wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared.

I joined Grover and Luke, who were staring at me in amazement.

"Allie..." Grover said. "That was so incredibly..."

"Terrifying," said Luke.

"Cool!" Grover corrected.

I didn't feel terrified. I certainly didn't feel cool. I was tired and sore and completely drained of energy. Despite that, I managed to give Luke his necklace back and Grover his tin can, which I knew he'd want to eat.

"Did you guys feel that... whatever it was?" I asked.

They both nodded uneasily.

"Must've been the Furies overhead," Grover said hopefully.

But I wasn't so sure. Something had stopped Ares from killing me, and whatever could do that was a lot stronger than the Furies.

I looked at Luke, and an understanding passed between us. I knew now what was in that pit, what had spoken from the entrance of Tartarus.

I reclaimed the damn backpack from Grover and looked inside. The master bolt was still there. Such a small thing to almost cause World War III.

"We have to get back to New York," I said heavily. "By tonight."

"That's impossible," Luke protested, "Unless we—"

"Fly," I finished. Have I ever mentioned just how much I hate my life? In case I haven't, let me do so right now. I really, really hate my life.

He stared flatly at me. "Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do again, lest Zeus strike you out of the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Pretty much exactly like that. Come on, let's go die a fiery, hopefully quick, death."

*    *    *

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